Double Double Desire and Trouble Complete
by Rhea Jediknight
Summary: Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker go on a quest for Yoda and the Jedi to recover some artifacts hidden during the time of the Jedi purges. What they discover unveil feelings that go beyond friendship and uncover a shared destiny.
1. Part One

Double Double Desire and Trouble

By Rhea

Rating: R (sexual content, please don't read if this if this offends you. It isn't any different than modern romances.)

Timeline: Sometime before VOTF

Disclaimer : I make no claim on the Star Wars copyright. I have not nor will I ever make any money from the sale of this story. This is written with the intent to support the fan base and not in an effort to make money. This work is based on characters and situations that are owned by George Lucas and Lucasfilms Ltd and Timothy Zahn.

Part One

Luke was beginning the fourth consecutive hour of deep meditation. The Jedi was reluctant to emerge, rarely achieving such a oneness with the force. He was sitting on a flat rock deep in the forest of Yavin. He could easily sense the Jedi back at the Academy. He effortlessly brushed Leia's sleeping mind on the distant planet of Coruscant. Not wanting to intrude on her rest, Luke retreated briefly checking the twins to find them equally immersed in slumber. His mind swam the galaxy riding the ebb and flow of life until he saw a brilliant light. He traced it to its source, to Mara Jade.

She was in her ship the Jade's Fire, and she became aware the moment his force presence neared her own.

"Skywalker?" She sat upright in the pilot's chair glancing around the cockpit of her ship. Before he could respond, another presence intruded on his consciousness, one right next to him. It was incredibly strong in the force. As he pulled back, he felt as if his connection to Mara remained. He turned his attention to the small field in front of where he sat and saw a small green alien shimmering in front of him.

"Master Yoda!" Luke exclaimed. He made a move to stand up, but a gesture from Yoda halted his motion.

"Stay long, I can not and much to say." The diminutive Jedi Master said.

Joy filled Luke, not realizing until this moment how much he had missed his old master and a twinge of regret quickly followed knowing that this contact would be brief.

"During the Jedi purges, much was lost. Recover what is left, you must. Destroyed, the Emperor did, the first key. Forever eliminating the way to the Jedi Trust, to the Hidden Catacombs."

"What's the Jedi Trust?" Luke's eyes lit up.

"A vault of archives, artifacts, things that were hidden from the Sith. Found the first clue the Emperor did. But knew not the way to proceed. Go to the Androden Caves you must."

"But they cover the entire planet, Master Yoda. How will I ever find the vault?"

"You must bring Mara. Show you the way, she will." Mara Jade became visible, sitting next to the master. Luke realized that she had been there all along. The mention of her name just made him aware of her presence.

Yoda continued to warn them, "Blood will flow and tears. But together find the way you will." He began to fade away. "Remember, the force is strong in you and in your children. Pass on what you learn." And he was gone.

Luke opened his eyes to find himself alone. The bird calls echoed deep in the forest of Yavin. He was tired and his thoughts were racing. A storehouse hidden from the Emperor. It was almost a dream come true. Luke stood up, his legs cramped from sitting immobile for an extended period. The Jedi did a few stretches and began to make his way back to the Academy. He had a trip to plan and a friend to contact.

A few hours later, Luke entered his room to find a message waiting for him. It was from Mara. A smile stretched across his face. He keyed in her code and within moments, Mara's face appeared on the flat monitor.

"Skywalker. What happened to you? Did you get in a fight with a quicksand bog and lose?"

At her words, he glanced down and saw that his shirt was torn and dirty. He could feel the sting of mild abrasions on his cheek and the stiffness of caked mud in a strip above his left eyebrow. He had spent a good portion of the day running through the forest of Yavin, unheeding the many branches that tore at his skin and clothing. He had been oblivious to the muddy streams he crossed in his determination to continue undeterred. He ran his fingers quickly through his hair, just making the ends stand up.

Mara smiled and said, "Don't bother. I've seen you look worse."

"Thanks." Luke commented wryly, his smile losing some of its intensity.

Mara enjoyed teasing the Jedi, but she did not want to put a damper on his exuberant mood.

"I just had the strangest dream. Although I don't remember falling asleep." Mara began.

"It wasn't a dream." Luke interrupted. "Yoda came to both of us."

Mara nodded silently. "I thought so, but I wasn't sure until now. I'm on my way to Janus to finalize a deal for Karrde. It should only take me a day or two. I can swing by Yavin to pick you up since that's on the way to Androden, then we can go on this Jedi quest of yours."

"Okay." Luke said, surprised despite himself that Mara agreed to do this so readily.

"I figure the sooner we go, the sooner we can get back. I don't want some backwards talking alien dictating my destiny."

Mara's green eyes sparkled and Luke sensed the humor in her words.

"At least you didn't have to eat his cooking."

"Yeah, well it can't be worse than mine."

Luke laughed and replied, "Tell you what, I'll do the cooking on this trip if you promise not to argue with me most of the time."

"No deal, Skywalker. If you do the cooking, you are ensuring your own survival, and I can't let you get off so easily."

"So. I'll see you in about a week?" Luke smiled.

"Yeah."

Luke was about to cut the connection but he felt her mood shift faster than a Tatooine sand storm. "What is it?"

"Something Yoda said. About blood and tears."

"I know. I kept thinking about that all the way back to the Academy."

"I hope it doesn't mean what it sounds like."

"All we can do is be careful and watch our backs."

They regarded each other silently. For a moment, their force sense were open, their mutual regard flowing freely. Then Mara sat up abruptly and said, "What is it with you Jedi? Why can't any prophecy every say 'smiles and laughter are in your future?'"

Luke sighed, "Maybe because we don't need to be warned about those things?"

"I guess. Well, See you later. I'll call you when I'm in orbit."

Mara cut the connection.

Luke continued to gaze at the blank monitor for a few minutes before leaving the console. He had a lot do and he wanted to be prepared. He decided to get cleaned up before he left a message with Leia informing her of what had happened. No use upsetting his sister, he smiled catching his reflection in the mirror. He began removing his clothes to step into the 'fresher.  
One Galactic Standard Week Later  
Mara's call came over his comm. unit when he was in the middle of handing over some administrative details to Tionne. Luke answered the call, oblivious to the fact that he interrupted a list of duties Tionne was reciting.

"Skywalker here."

"You ready to go stir up some trouble?" Mara's voice filled Tionne's office, causing the pale woman's eyebrows to draw together in disapproval.

Luke smiled broadly, "Wouldn't miss it. Meet you at the landing pad shortly."

"Don't keep me waiting too long, Jedi."

"Eager to see me, Jade?" Luke teased.

"Hardly. Just being too long on a planet full of Jedi makes me rethink my decision not to kill you."

"Just think of this as a test of your endurance. You're going to need it, to put up with Artoo for the trip."

"We never agreed . . ."

Luke cut the connection before Mara could protest further.

Tionne said, "Are you sure you can trust her, Master Skywalker?"

Luke turned to regard Tionne, just noticing the waves of displeasure coming from the woman. Luke's smile slipped from his face and he said seriously, "I would trust her with my life."

"Isn't that what you are doing?" There was a definite edge of jealousy in her sense and Luke wondered not for the first time exactly how Tionne viewed him.

"I know you don't like Mara, but she's a good person, and a good friend. I wish you could try to be more accepting of her."

Tionne slowly shook her head, "We are like fire and water. We can't exist in the same place at the same time."

Luke was about to protest and then decided that perhaps she was right. They were complete opposites and it was futile to pursue this further.

"I trust you too, Tionne. I know that the Academy is in good hands, and I'm grateful for your devotion to the Jedi."

Her countenance brightened at this compliment and she said, "Thank you Master Skywalker."

He cringed at the title, but knew it was useless to remind her not to use it. He turned and left the office. The Jade's Fire was still venting gasses on the platform, so Luke knew that Mara could not have been waiting long. He swung the bag he had picked up from his room and gestured for R2D2 to stay behind him as he cautiously approached the vehicle.

Mara stepped onto the lowered ramp and tried to give Skywalker a glare when she saw the silver domed astromech droid following in his wake. A small smile slipped past her guard, despite her ire. Luke could sense that her feelings toward Artoo were really more for show than anything else.

"Do you want to come out and stretch your legs before we head out?" Luke asked. Mara's hair blew around her face, the wind was beginning to rise. She was dressed in a figure fitting green jumpsuit that accented her female form.

"No. I have a feeling that we should get there as soon as possible." The Jedi was momentarily caught off guard, mesmerized by the image she presented. R2D2 whistled mournfully, and Luke patted his metal dome comfortingly.

"It's alright, Artoo. I promise that she won't throw you into the nearest trash compactor."

Mara chuckled and said, "Sure. chrome dome. Now there's nothing stopping me from converting you into a trash compactor."

The droids head twisted frantically and Luke soothed, "She's just kidding." He threw Mara a look, "Aren't you?"

"Come on, make yourself at home." Mara said. A tech approached them with a crate of supplies and Mara showed him to the storage compartments. Luke followed Artoo as he rolled up the deck. Luke set his bag down and eyed the pilot's seat. After a moment of debate he judiciously sat in the co- pilot's chair and strapped in.

Mara threw him a look, that seemed to say that she was surprised that she did not have to throw him out of her seat and sat down in silence. Artoo rolled to the back of the ship, attempting to give the red haired woman a wide berth. Mara pulled the safety strap, secured it, and started flipping switches.

She leaned back into the seat and asked, "Ready?"

Luke nodded his agreement.

They left Yavin behind.


	2. Part Two

Double Double Desire and Trouble  
Part Two  
Androden was on the outer rim, not far from Tatooine. It was an unpopulated world that was once used for mining, but the venture was eventually abandoned because the hazards far outweighed the payoff. The cave systems were more complex than any other world in the known universe. The extensive nature of the caves riddling the lower levels of the planet, made the surface too unstable for any large developments. Since the planet was in the middle of Hutt controlled space, most people either avoided the planet or stayed only long enough to complete an illegal transaction.  
  
Mara guided the ship slowly in orbit around the planet. The world was brilliant red, covered by a multitude of cracks. There were no bodies of water, no vegetation. Luke could not sense anything alive on the planet below. The rocky surface looked as if it had been heated from within and cracked from the stress  
  
"I've only been here once before." Mara said.  
  
Luke inspected her closely and said, "Tell me about it."  
  
She remembered Yoda's words, "Show you the way, she will."  
  
Mara was the one who could find the Hidden Catacombs, and she had a pretty good idea where to start. Mara scanned the readouts detailing the surface of the planet until she found the spot she was looking for. "Years ago, before I hooked up with Karrde's organization, I heard of a smuggling group that met here to do a weapons exchange. I had learned about this operation while employed by the Emperor and I came here after his death to see if I could find a lead on a better life. In those days, I was barely making a living and I was hoping to find a way out. I was tired of working as a menial laborer, a mechanic, or whatever came along just to have enough credits to make ends meet. I had heard that the leader of this particular smuggler group was honest and treated his employees with respect. It took me a few days to study the fissures criss-crossing the surface of the planet and to run an analysis on the underlying structure until I could find the most stable place to land."  
  
The Jade's Fire settled carefully down on a rocky plain.  
  
"Here." Mara removed the strap and turned to face Skywalker. "I found their rendezvous point and I also found the leader of the smuggling group. . . dead. Seems that he was just too nice. It had all been a waste of time and energy."  
  
Luke shrugged and said, "Maybe you were prompted to come here, maybe you were listening to the force."  
  
"It was my destiny?" Mara said derisively. "Oh come on, Skywalker. I admit it is convenient given our current objective, but it's a coincidence nothing more."  
  
Luke looked at her with his bright blue gaze. Mara turned away. Luke leaned forward to study the computer readouts. R2D2 rolled forward and bumped into Luke's arm.  
  
"Hey." The Jedi looked down at the astromech droid, "What is it?"  
  
The droid twittered and Luke nodded his head.  
  
"What did he say?" Mara asked.  
  
"Artoo says that he detected a faint beacon."  
  
Mara leaned over the console and said, "It's not on the Fire's sensors."  
  
R2D2 rotated a metal appendage in the droid socket making an adjustment to the readouts scrolling across the screen.  
  
"There," Luke pointed at the slight blip.  
  
Mara nodded, "It's coming from a shaft not far from here." The red-haired woman turned to regard the little droid, "Nice going, Artoo."  
  
The droid rotated his head one way then the other as if viewing her with a multitude of sensors, then he whistled tentatively.  
  
Luke covered his mouth with his hand, but Mara could see his smile just the same.  
  
"What did he say?" Mara demanded.  
  
"He just is glad that you appreciate him."  
  
Mara looked suspiciously at Luke and then at the droid. She shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to analyze what the little astromech said any further. She threw a cloth bag stuffed with supplies at the Jedi. He caught it deftly and followed the woman as she stormed out of the ship without saying a word, his smile grew with each step.  
  
Mara waited impatiently for the Jedi. When the droid rolled onto the ramp she said, "I think you'd better stay behind with the ship. Even here, the ground is not reliable; you wouldn't last an hour."  
  
The droid halted, extended a sensor and pointed it at the ground.  
  
Luke turned to Mara, "We need him to lead us to the beacon he discovered. Besides, I'll make sure that he's safe."  
  
Artoo moaned and tentatively rolled onto the ground, a fine coating of red dust rising in the air behind him.  
  
"It's your droid." Mara said as if she had just pronounced his demise. She took the lead, extending her senses through the force, and preparing for slight shifts in the ground as she walked. "Stay right behind me. Last time I was here, this patch of ground was relatively stable. It's not far to the first fissure."  
  
Mara took the lead, R2D2 rolled right behind her, and Luke followed up the rear. The air was thin and the minor exertion was making it difficult for them to breath. The sky was black as space and sprinkled with stars. A small rocky moon brushed the horizon and a distant white sun no more than an extremely bright star cast long shadows behind them. The ground radiated heat, making the temperature bearable. Mara's foot broke through the ground, causing a minor earthquake. Luke dashed forward and grabbed her arm, preventing the woman from slipping into the fresh crack gaping in their path.  
  
The ground settled quickly. Mara panted, leaning reluctantly against the Jedi, eyeing the newly made chasm before them, "We'll that woke me up." Mara said ruefully.  
  
"Why don't we take a break, catch our breath." Luke suggested.  
  
She nodded slowly. They had walked for a few hours, but with the clear air and the relatively flat ground, they could still see the Jade's Fire in the distance, a small glittering beacon on the rocky, crimson land.  
  
Luke sat heavily down on a flat rock and opened a bag that contained their supplies. He started fishing around the interior until he produced two ration bars triumphantly.  
  
"I thought you said you'd cook." Mara said wryly as she took the bar and tore open the wrap.  
  
"Hey, in some parts of the galaxy, these are considered gourmet." Luke said.  
  
Mara snorted and then stopped, noticing the change in the Jedi's sense.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Luke had stopped chewing, his head cocked to one side as if trying to hear a distant sound. "I don't know. I feel as if we are being watched."  
  
The droid twittered and extended a sensor.  
  
Mara felt the small hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and her hand moved to the blaster holstered on her left forearm. She extended her senses. Although, she could not pinpoint the source, she felt a faint sensation of foreboding, a darkness.  
  
"I don't sense anyone nearby." Mara said tentatively, unconsciously moving closer to the Jedi.  
  
Luke swallowed and met her eyes. The pale light made his hair seem darker than normal. The shadows were pronounced on his face. He lifted his hand as if to touch her and then dropped it, suddenly realizing what he was doing. He turned aside and quickly repacked the supplies bag, consuming the rest of his ration bar in two quick bites.  
  
Mara picked up on his cue and rechecked their route. She compared it to the small display unit attached to Artoo's dome. They were nearly on top of the signal.  
  
Luke swung the bag onto his shoulder and asked, "Ready?"  
  
Mara nodded and did not protest when Skywalker took the lead. They carefully navigated around the new crevice in their path. They walked for awhile slowing gaining altitude. With each step, it felt as if the air grew incrementally thinner. Luke stopped abruptly as a sheer drop stretched in front of them. A large valley stretched before them covered in crude black volcanic rocks. Fissures etched the steep drop, one of which was large enough to accommodate the both of them walking side by side.  
  
Artoo twittered and Luke interpreted for Mara "The signal is coming from inside that cave."  
  
The entrance widen toward the base of the drop, so they would need to enter the cave from the bottom of the valley. Luke and Mara peered over the edge trying to figure out the best way to scale the drop. Both of them could probably climb down the rocky slope, the numerous fissures creating natural foot and hand holds. The droid was another matter entirely.  
  
"I've climbed down this once before, but there weren't nearly this many cracks in the slope. With as unstable this place is, I'm not sure if we can find a way safely to the bottom." Mara said.  
  
Luke pondered their situation for a moment and then said, "I'll levitate Artoo to the bottom and then take us down the same way."  
  
"Oh, no. Are you crazy? I'll take my chances with the uncertain terrain."  
  
"I can do this, Mara. Don't you trust me?" Luke grabbed her hand and rubbed his thumb over her chilled fingers. She told herself that the sensation was pleasurable because it brought warmth to her hand, and she knew that was not the complete truth. She caught her breath as she met Luke's blue gaze. She could feel his emotions churning beneath his calm exterior. When she tried to focus on them, it was as if a door had suddenly closed. They were no longer in sight. Mara wondered if her sudden lightheadedness was due to the thin air or Skywalker's proximity.  
  
She took a deep shuddering breath, refusing to break eye contact. "Alright. Let's do it." She said, suddenly resolute.  
  
A smile spread across Luke's face with the speed of quick silver. He gave her hand a quick squeeze in gratitude and released it. Suddenly the Jedi Master, he turned his attention to the droid. Mara was absentmindedly rubbing the place on her hand that felt suddenly cold. She peered at the rocky moon, almost below the horizon. She could see numerous impact craters on the natural satellite's surface. All the while her mind was focused on the Luke's expression when he had held her hand, and the way her insides had seemed to dissolve when he was near her.  
  
"I said, Are you read to go?" Luke interrupted her thoughts and Mara turned guiltily to regard the Jedi. The droid was on the ground below them, waiting patiently for them to join him. The Jedi stepped forward and said, "What is it, Mara?"  
  
She shook her head and said, "It's nothing."  
  
"Let's do this together. It would be good practice for you and increase the likelihood that we'll have a soft landing." Luke stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her waist.  
  
"What are you doing?" Mara asked, suddenly alarmed.  
  
"Why, does it bother you, having me so close?" Luke teased.  
  
Mara bristled, "In your dreams, Skywalker."  
  
Something seemed to cross his features, and Mara sensed a quickly suppressed spike of emotion from him through the force. Mara leaned brazenly into his arms and watched his reaction carefully. Luke caught his breath and closed his eyes. The next thing she knew they were floating through the air, passing the rugged slope, with the numerous fissures etching the surface like veins. Mara closed her eyes, her force senses mingling with the Jedi's and it was only a moment before they were made a soft landing on the base of the valley. With their senses so entwined, Mara could feel the essence of the man who held her. She could feel his strength, his devotion to duty, his loyalty to his friends and family, and his quiet determination. She could feel that he was a man who felt things deeply, and always struggled to maintain a control over those emotions, least they control him. Her respect for this man increased and a warmth that she could not identify expanded from her being and enveloped him. Luke gasped and Mara opened her eyes to meet his gaze. They remained like that, unmoving for a moment, until Artoo whistled a quiet question.  
  
Luke turned his gaze reluctantly from the red haired woman and Mara pulled away. A part of her chided herself for what could only be called a retreat, but another part of her was silently grateful to the astromech droid for his timely interruption.  
  
"Yes, Artoo, we're alright. Is the signal coming from in there?" Luke cautiously walked toward the droid, placing each step with care.  
  
R2D2 whistled an affirmative.  
  
Mara stepped ahead and with a quick glance over her shoulder disappeared into the cave.  
  
"After you," Luke said to the little droid. R2D2 rolled slowly into the dark opening. Luke glanced back to the place where Mara and he had landed. He took a deep breath and entered the cave.  
  
A ship slipped from behind the small moon. It was much smaller than the Jade's Fire. The highly polished surface gleamed in the sun's dim light. The vehicle landed on a relatively flat area midway between Mara's ship and the crevice. Its landing created a earthquake that resounded across the land for a few minutes, and then the rumbling dwindled away. The ship was no longer perfectly level, but it was undamaged. Dark forms emerged from the ship and began the arduous journey toward Skywalker and Jade. 


	3. Part Three

Double Double Desire and Trouble  
  
Part Three  
  
When Mara first stepped into the crevice it was dark as the void. She stood with her back to the opening until her eyes adjusted allowing her to see the dim outline of the rocky corridor. R2D2 rolled behind her shining a bright light that momentarily dazzled her. She stepped aside conceding the necessity for the droid to take the lead. The Artoo unit's low moans reverberated against the cave walls. The sound seemed to emphasize how alone they really were. Luke's form momentarily obscured the opening following them as they made their way deeper into the darkness.  
  
The air was warmer in the caves and it was a relief to the thinner, colder air outside. Mara's danger senses flared and she halted abruptly. Luke stopped, narrowly avoiding a collision with her.  
  
Luke warned, "Artoo don't move,"  
  
The droid obeyed immediately.  
  
The earth shook and a fine spray of dirt rained down on them. Mara dropped into a squat in an attempt to become a smaller target. Luke dropped down beside her, throwing a protective arm over her head. Large chunks of rock cascaded in their path and Luke reflected one away from their crouched forms with the force.  
  
Slowly, the shaking diminished. They coughed as a steady stream of sand slipped down the walls from a newly created crevice overhead. Luke slowly lifted his arm and cautiously stood up. He reached down and gently pulled Mara upright.  
  
She absentmindedly shrugged him off and Luke stepped back, "Are you alright?" He asked, the concern evident in his voice.  
  
Mara shielded her eyes when Artoo swung his spotlight in their direction. Obviously satisfied, the astromech droid swung it away to once again illuminate the dusty pathway ahead.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." Mara replied.  
  
"You think we should keep going?" Luke asked.  
  
"We've come this far, I'm not about to let a couple of rocks prevent us from continuing." Mara could just make out his grin in the dim lighting. "What do you think caused that?"  
  
"I don't know." Luke replied distantly.  
  
"Come on. Let's get this over with." Mara urged as she quickly followed Artoo's light, dwindling as he moved further away.  
  
They walked as quickly as they could, pausing every now and then when the earth shifted. They were on edge, not trusting the safety of this cavern or the path they were traveling.  
  
Artoo's light suddenly winked out, engulfing them in darkness. An electronic scream dwindled away accompanied by the sound of numerous pebbles shifting across the ground.  
  
Luke pushed past Mara and lurched forward, throwing himself on the ground. Mara grabbed Luke's hand as he slipped ever so slightly realizing that he was on the edge of a precipice. A white glow slowly rose from a gaping chasm. The little droid hovered in to view, whistling nervously. Mara grabbed for the droid and guided him to the edge. Luke let out a sigh and slumped in relief.  
  
"That was pretty fast reflexes," Mara said to Luke.  
  
"Thanks." Luke panted, and Mara could feel a wave of embarrassed pleasure at her words.  
  
R2D2 rocked back and forth on his legs and Mara admonished, "Stay still short stuff unless you want to cause a landslide."  
  
The droid instantly grew still, but continued to twitter.  
  
Still lying down, Luke felt along edge of the drop determining that it completely blocked their path.  
  
"Well I guess that's it." Luke said resigned, rising into a crouched position. Mara relaxed, sitting next to him. The faint breeze of gasses caressed Mara's face as they vented from the opening to trail toward the ceiling.  
  
"Do you feel that?" Mara asked. She stood up and felt along the wall, peering up into the darkness overhead.  
  
"One of the first things I learned during my time as the Emperor's Hand was that most creatures never look up. If you have to hide yourself or something else, it's best to find a way to gain elevation. It's a simple concept but in most cases it works fairly effectively."  
  
Luke watched Mara for a moment then turned to the droid and asked, "Artoo, can you point your light toward the ceiling?"  
  
The droid complied with an amiable chatter. A dark square was instantly visible above their heads on the side of the wall. It was obviously artificial in origin, a perfect square cut into the uneven cave surface.  
  
Luke got a distant look on his face.  
  
"What is it Skywalker?"  
  
"Nothing. I just thought I sensed something, but when I tried, I couldn't focus on it."  
  
Mara did not like the sound of that. He gave her a slight smile that was an attempt to reassure her, but Mara's insides continued to churn. Despite her unease, she appreciated his attempt to comfort her and said softly, "Let's get going."  
  
The Jedi nodded. He stood up and interlaced his fingers, offering her a step. Mara moved forward, placed a hand on his shoulder, and stepped into his cupped hands. Luke's chin brushed the top of her head and when she looked up at him, Mara was suddenly aware of their nearness. Even with a fine coating of red dust on his hair and a dark smudge below his eye, he looked good. This was becoming a habit lately, allowing Skywalker to distract her.  
  
"Ready?" Luke asked softly.  
  
Mara pulled her attention back to the task at hand and nodded.  
  
Luke pushed up and Mara leapt, her natural agility and balance serving her well as she landed gracefully in the opening. Mara ignited her lightsaber, viewing the new corridor in the dark blue light. Luke force leapt beside her, landing heavily on one knee. A small shower of dust cascaded down on them, quickly dwindling away.  
  
Luke rose to his feet, and gave Mara a sheepish smile. Mara snorted softly but she was secretly impressed at his ability to jump the expanse without assistance, regardless of his hard landing.  
  
R2D2 moaned below them.  
  
"You think we should leave him there?" Mara asked. "This isn't going to be a fun trip back."  
  
"I'd rather we stick together. If we can get him up here, we can get him back down too." He turned toward Mara. His blue eyes were even more intense than normal in the light of Mara's saber. " You want to do the honors?"  
  
"Always the teacher, aren't you Skywalker." But Mara handed Luke the saber and stepped back toward the ledge so she could see the little R2 unit. The droid was directing his lamp in all directions, studying the area while he sat patiently for them. Mara reached out with the force, a part of her was not sure that she could do this, but another part of her refused to fail in front of the Jedi. She felt the energy pulse around the droid, and gathered it to her, wondering if it would be enough to lift the relatively heavy droid.  
  
"Weight matters not." Luke intoned.  
  
Mara grunted, muttering something about all Jedi wisdom having to be stated in backwards phrases. She felt Luke's humor at her comment and she realized that his presence was with her as she gathered the force, gently guiding her. She closed her eyes and saw the droid drift effortlessly into the air. The startled whistles grew louder. When she opened her eyes, she was not surprised to see the astromech droid beside her.  
  
Luke smiled and his approval warmed her. She returned his smile, proud despite herself.  
  
The ground shifted and the little droid quickly scurried away from the edge. A rock crashed down, grazing Mara's right hand. A thin trickle of blood ran across the back of her hand to drip down her fingers.  
  
When the earth settled again, Luke said, "You're hurt."  
  
"It's nothing." Mara dismissed, reaching for her saber. Instead of handing her the weapon, he grabbed her hand to inspect the wound.  
  
"We should clean this up." Mara pulled her hand out of his grasp and took the lightsaber, shutting the beam down and clipping it to her belt.  
  
"Later." Mara muttered.  
  
They could no longer see each other in the sudden darkness. Mara followed the beam of light emanating from R2D2's projector.  
  
Mara stepped boldly ahead entering a wide cavern. The moment they crossed the threshold they felt the power of this place. The cavern was imbued with the dark side. Cracks in the rock overhead let in bits of light so that it was easy to believe that they were beneath a star riddled sky. Luke was the first to notice a pile of refuse in the corner of the cavern. He went to examine it more closely and the sound of his gasp echoed repeatedly in the wide cavern.  
  
Mara rushed to join him and saw what had startled him. The silhouette of a human body in old blood was burned into the rocky ground. The body had been consumed, leaving nothing but abandoned clothing and discarded belongings. The cloth was covered in a thick coat of red dust, but a glint of something metallic caught Mara's attention. She bent down and pulled it free. Luke was intent upon the cylindrical device and Mara handed it to him. He pushed a button activating the weapon. The snap-hiss of the blade roared through the cavern. The lightsaber glowed with crimson light.  
  
They both gazed at the dark red light for a moment. Both were reminded of the Emperor and Vader, but those memories differed in content.  
  
"This must be why there is a dark stain in the force here." Luke turned the hilt in his hands inspecting the design and slightly repulsed at the sensation traveling up his arm while he held the evil weapon.  
  
Mara bent down to search the tattered cloak and pocketed everything she found for later inspection. She paused for a moment to inspect an oddly shaped disk, before slipping it into a separate pocket.  
  
R2D started to chirp excitedly. Unable to understand the droid's rapid communication, Luke shut the saber down, clipped it to his belt, and walked over to the display to read the translation.  
  
"He says that he found the source of the transmission. It appears we have found our destination."  
  
"So this is the famous Jedi Trust?" Mara asked, an edge in her voice indicating that she was not impressed.  
  
"Yoda said something about a key. Maybe that's all we'll find here."  
  
"But where is the lock?" Mara continued, "And how do we know it's still here? Why in the world would a Jedi decide to hide something on this life forsaken planet anyway?"  
  
"I don't know, but Yoda wouldn't have told us to come here if there was nothing to find." Luke answered. He began to move around the room, inspecting the walls, the various hidden crevices and glancing at the ceiling.  
  
Mara moved to a raised area in the center of the room. There looked to be a small pedestal with an indentation on the surface. Mara wiped the dust away to make out the etched markings. The moment she made contact with the dust coated metallic surface, it began to glow. A drop of Mara's blood shone black in the dim lighting, glistened like a dark gem on the surface.  
  
A red light flashed across the pedestal and a modulated droid voice said, "Please confirm authorization."  
  
Luke and Mara looked quizzically at each other. He quickly joined Mara to look down at the pedestal.  
  
"What do you require?" Mara asked the droid intelligence.  
  
"Please confirm authorization." It repeated in exactly the same tone as before.  
  
The Jedi's eyebrows drew together and then his face relaxed. Luke grabbed Mara's hand and said with a remote expression on his face, "It's your blood, you started some process."  
  
She recognized that look as indicating when Luke was communing with the force. It took barely a moment for Mara to understand.  
  
She withdrew a knife from a sheath located at the side of her leg and said, "You want me to do the honors?" Her voice was somewhat sarcastic, mimicking Luke's question from earlier.  
  
Luke inspected her closely, before making a decisive nod.  
  
She smiled wickedly and Luke flinched.  
  
She grabbed his right hand and Luke said, "No the other." Mara took the offered hand and turned the knife so that it caught the light glinting in the dim lighting.  
  
"Come on, Mara," Luke begged fidgeting slightly.  
  
She laughed and moved so quickly he did not feel the cut on the tip of one finger.  
  
"Now was that so bad?" Mara said with mocking solicitude.  
  
Luke shot her a glare, but it held no real emotion as he pressed the bead of blood joining it with Mara's.  
  
A second past and a wave of red light crossed through the pedestal.  
  
"Authorization confirmed. Welcome Jedi."  
  
Luke wondered how a blood sample could confirm that they were Jedi.  
  
A new voice boomed in the cavern. "Now if you'll kindly step away from the pedestal, I'll be on my way." The voice echoed in a hauntingly familiar rasp.  
  
Both Mara and Luke jumped and spun around caught unaware. They could not sense this intruder or his two companions. There was no sign of ysalamiri in the area and there was not the empty force bubble that was indicative of their presence. Instead, it was as if their very perceptions had been shunted away, pushed back with a skill that was staggering.  
  
"Who are you? What do you want?" Mara asked.  
  
Luke shifted into a combat stance his lightsaber unlit but at the ready. Mara readjusted her weight evenly throughout her body in preparation for an attack.  
  
"I think the answer to both those questions is pretty obvious, my dear." The figure moved forward and as he did so they could see his darkly cowled face. Mara was almost afraid to see the face, but it was hidden in shadow. Two creatures flanked him, walking on all fours with sharp fangs and scaled hides. The two started moving to either side in a flanking maneuver. The cowled man continued, "I had always thought it was the amount of blood, I did not know it required the blood of two force users."  
  
His laugher echoed dully in the empty cavern. Mara kept her attention trained on the creatures pacing toward them. Mara ignited her lightsaber and as if that was a cue he was waiting for, the man in shadows ignited his crimson blade. "Clever of the Jedi, I must admit, to know that a Sith would never think to spill his own blood. "  
  
Artoo was doing something behind them..  
  
Luke was remote, the darkness of this place seemed to have permeated his being and he was not even entirely sure that the adversary standing before them was not some twisted force vision, like the dark cave on Dagobah where he combated his father only to face himself. Mara also felt as if her force sense was deadened, but she had operated for years without a reliance on them. She could sense a distance in Skywalker and wondered if this lord of the Sith were reaching into the Jedi's mind, warping his perspective.  
  
"Luke!" Mara called as one of the animals leapt toward him.  
  
The Jedi turned and neatly sliced the creature in two. The beast continued to slide forward continuing the momentum of its pounce it twisted and a claw slashed across the Jedi's chest.  
  
Luke screamed, his flesh burning.  
  
The cowled figure ran passed them almost faster than the eye could see and grabbed something that had appeared on the pedestal- a small metal device.  
  
Mara attempted to block the dark lord's retreat, but the second creature had changed its attack from her to Luke, preferring wounded prey.  
  
Mara shut down her lightsaber and pulled her holdout blaster, shooting at the fleeing figure with the flowing dark robes and the animal attacking Skywalker. The blaster bolts bounced harmlessly away from the Sith lord, one actually reverberating in the cavern initiating another series of quakes. The other blaster bold hit true, felling the great beast. Luke rolled out of the way as the creature collapsed next to its companion.  
  
"Stop him" Luke wheezed.  
  
Mara dashed to the edge but saw nothing in the darkness. She stretched out with her senses and could feel nothing. He was gone.  
  
The walls were moving. The entire place was about to collapse. She ran back all the while her mind was debating their options, finally resolving on one. She took her lightsaber, eyed the widest crack in the ceiling and threw it. The blue blade arched overhead slicing through the cavern roof.  
  
Artoo screamed and rolled to the side as large chunks of the ceiling dropped. Mara pulled a rope from the pack and absently noticing that Luke kept the largest of the rocks from impacting them. She called her saber back to her hand, switching off the blade. She affixed the rope to the unlit hilt and threw it into the gaping hole. Pale sunlight streamed into the cavern, illuminating the red haze clouding the area. Luke pulled himself to his feet, swaying slightly. Mara could hear the saber hilt soaring overhead as it caught on a rocky mass. She turned to inspect the Jedi, he nodded at her and he gestured for her to go first.  
  
"Don't get all noble on me, Jedi. Get up there before you fall down." Luke seemed about to protest, but instead maintained his silence.  
  
"Be careful." He said and began an arduous trip to the top. The floor began to crack between Mara's feet. She swore, knowing that the rope would not hold both of them and she did not believe she could levitate herself. Her gaze fell onto the droid, whose lights were following Luke's painful ascent to the top.  
  
"You'll do anything to see me practice my force skills," she muttered as she actively ignored her surroundings and found her center. Once her mind was calm and at peace she used the force to pushed the droid though the air and onto the unstable roof overhead. Luke called to her from the roof, his worried face gazing down at her. The crack between her feet had grown larger and the pedestal had broken off at the base. She sprinted for the dangling rope and grabbed the end. The ground gave out beneath her before she could begin to climb.  
  
She gave an uncharacteristic yelp and Luke yelled, "Hang on."  
  
If she had more breath she would have yelled back, "What do you think I'm doing?" Instead she began climbing the rope swaying with the effort and the unstable perch. When she neared the top, Luke reached for her hand and she grasped it grateful for something sturdy to hold on to. She was amazed they had made it to the top.  
  
"We aren't out of this yet," Skywalker warned. They had exited the system of caves and were somewhere on the surface of the planet. The droid beeped something at them and rolled as fast as it could down the slope.  
  
Mara and Luke got to their feet and stumbled after him. Mara's lightsaber was clutched in Luke's hands. The ground began to collapse and Luke said, "We're going to have to jump."  
  
The cracks extended far ahead of them and with the intensity of the shuddering beneath them Mara knew he was right.  
  
He pulled her to one side, grabbed her hand, and said, "Concentrate on pushing the ground away from you, cushioning your fall."  
  
Mara nodded and they jumped in unison.  
  
(Thanks again go to Jayde Star for being the beta on this!) 


	4. Part Four

Double Double Desire and Trouble  
  
(Thanks again go to Jayde Star for being the beta on this.)  
  
Part Four  
  
At first, it was as if Luke and Mara were drifting through the cold breeze. Mara tried to gulp the thin air losing concentration as she struggled for breath. Luke squeezed her hand painfully, but she could feel his strength waning. Mara recovered her focus as they neared the ground, using the force to lessen the energy of their impact, but still hitting the ground hard.  
  
Her entire body ached. Her arm was twisted behind her, still clutched tightly in Skywalker's grip. Mara lifted her head to peer at the Jedi and scrambled to her feet. Adrenalin erased all her pain. Skywalker's face was immobile, eyes closed. She bent down next to the prone man and pushed him onto his back. He rolled bonelessly over, his head lulling to the side. Mara took a quick intake of breath, her heart hammering loudly in her chest. Luke Skywalker appeared dead. She could not sense him, could not feel his presence.  
  
"Skywalker, look at me!" There was no response.  
  
Mara ran her hands frantically over his face, feeling for breath, brushing the ruddy sand from his mouth, and watching his chest for movement. Nothing. The blood drained from her face and she felt as if her actions became sluggish. It was as if reality itself had slowed down, and this one moment in time seemed to become the point at which the universe stopped.  
  
"Luke. Come on, Luke. Don't do this to me!" Mara could feel her emotions, but at a distance. She felt a surge of fear that Luke was really gone. Anger that he would do this to her combined with a desperate desolation. In that instant, Mara could see the remaining days of her life without this farm boy turned Jedi Master widen out before her.  
  
Empty. Meaningless. Alone.  
  
Mara stretched out with the force, struggling to find the bright spark that was so uniquely Luke. A pain seared through her almost blinding in its intensity as she failed to find it. She closed her eyes and collapsed heavily on to his chest. Mara buried her face in Luke's neck, her hands convulsively grabbing his shirt in a tight fist. She could not sense him; she could not sense anything.  
  
She fought with her feelings, realizing that the dark side was pushing at the edges of her mind. When she calmed her emotions, the force resurged within her.  
  
Luke's presence shined brightly within the tapestry of the force. He coughed and groaned. His arm wrapped around her and she could feel his chest shift with his breathing. Mara pulled her head from his neck to see his blue eyes gazing at her. His forehead was furrowed with pain and concern. He was pale, covered in numerous scratches, and very much alive.  
  
"Hey." He said, his voice dry as if he had not spoken in years.  
  
It was the sound of his voice, the faint touch of humor and concern that pushed her over the edge. Mara wept. She wanted to pound on him with her fists for scaring her. She wanted to kiss him just for opening his eyes again. Instead, Mara just covered her face with her hands and tried to turn away.  
  
Luke sat up and dragged her into his arms. He winced slightly, but he held her up against his chest, and stroked her hair down in a soothing gesture. Once she started, she could not seem to stop. It was as if years of controlling her emotions could not be regained within a few seconds, or even a few minutes. Mara pressed her face into the crook of his shoulder, feeling his strong arms wrap around her, and she released all of her pain. Luke whispered into her hair soothing, meaningless words. She could feel his presence shine and she reached for him through the force. He welcomed her and their combined essence shone bright with power and emotion. Before long, the storm ended and she lay exhausted and quiet against him. She was reluctant to move away, enjoying the contact, and not wanting to face the embarrassment of her emotional outburst.  
  
"Don't you ever do that to me again, Skywalker." Mara said softly into his shirt.  
  
Luke kissed the top of her head and said, "I'll make a note of that." He looked up into the sky. The moon had disappeared and the sun had set long ago. The stars shone with an undiluted brilliance that was usually only visible in space. "I think we better get moving, it's starting to get cold."  
  
Mara nodded and pulled away, withdrawing both physically and through the force. Mara glanced up and noticed night had fallen, and the wind had started to blow. She rubbed her face against a relatively clean part of her sleeve and stood up. She gazed at him through red-rimmed eyes and Luke thought she had never looked more beautiful.  
  
"Are you sure you're alright?" She asked him.  
  
Luke stood up, moving painfully. "I don't think there's a part of me that isn't sore, and those scratches on my chest burn like the sands back home, but I'll live."  
  
A wave of self-loathing washed over her as Mara realized while she had succumbed to her emotions, Luke had been suffering from untreated wounds.  
  
Luke felt her change in emotions and said, "Don't be so hard on yourself." He gave her a shy smile. "We can't do much at the moment anyway. I'll clean them up when we get back to the ship. How about yourself? Are you hurt?"  
  
"No, I'm fine." Mara realized they were alone. "Where's Artoo?"  
  
"I don't know. I just hope he's alright. He's probably recharging in the Jade's Fire even as we talk."  
  
Mara looked around for their bag of supplies, but remembered that they had left it behind on the cavern floor. "Well, hopefully, we aren't too far from the Fire. We don't have any food or water. At least we still have our weapons." Mara grew thoughtful for a moment and said, "You know farmboy, I'm beginning to think that this is all one big ploy to avoid cooking for me."  
  
Luke laughed and then winced, but the smile stayed firmly fixed on his face as he said, "I've been found out."  
  
They began walking side by side, back toward the ship.  
  
"Yeah well. I can see right through you." Mara said teasingly.  
  
"I'm never going to play Sabacc with you. You'd probably walk away with the deed to the Academy," Luke joked.  
  
"Oh no. You can't pawn that place off on me. If we're going to play for high stakes, it's going to have to be for something good." Mara declared.  
  
"And what exactly would that be?" Luke asked, eyeing her curiously.  
  
Mara glanced at him suggestively and then adopted an air of nonchalance. "Oh I don't know." Her gaze raked him from head to foot. Luke reddened at her bold inspection of him. "I'm starting to like your droid."  
  
"Artoo? You want Artoo?" Luke said incredulously.  
  
"He has his uses. Although, he's no good at maneuvering across uneven terrain. You might have to throw something else in if the stakes are really high. I'll let you know if the pot's right."  
  
Mara stepped forward to take the lead. Luke stopped in his tracks replaying their conversation in his head. Had Mara been flirting with him? He shook his head ruefully, watching Mara's retreating form with amusement and more than a little interest. A broad smile stretch across his face. Even if his life depended on it, he could not stop grinning.  
  
They had crossed half the distance to the ship, when another volley of quakes shuddered the red earth around them. Mara stopped and Luke closed the distance with a few steps. They gazed across the land, watching for cracks in the land and other dangers. It had grown bitterly cold. Luke was finding it more and more difficult to continue walking. It hurt to breath. It felt like acid had been poured onto the skin of his chest. There was no use in alarming Mara. There was nothing they could do until they made it back to the ship.  
  
Just ahead, Luke noticed some black marks in a fairly regular pattern in the ground. He pointed them out to Mara and they veered ever so slightly to investigate.  
  
"This is from a ship. Probably our raspy voiced visitor's." Mara told him.  
  
"There's something that's been bothering me about him." Luke said, kicking the blackened spot absentmindedly.  
  
"You mean aside from the fact that he was a dark lord of the Sith, and that he managed to steal whatever it was that Yoda returned from the dead to command us to retrieve, and then he left without a scratch on him, with a head start to boot."  
  
"Uh . . . yeah. That's pretty bad, huh?"  
  
"Yep, and there's more." Mara agreed.  
  
"Oh. What is it then?" Luke asked.  
  
"I still sometimes hear his voice, not in my head anymore, thanks to your clone, but in my dreams. I was kind of hoping that I was wrong. It sounded exactly like the Emperor, but there are some things that don't make any sense. The Emperor never did his own fighting, didn't even know how to use a lightsaber as far as I could tell, and it didn't feel quite like him."  
  
They began to resume walking back to the Jade's Fire, closer to each other, their pace much slower. They could see the gleaming vehicle in the distance. It seemed to never get any nearer no matter how far they walked. Mara noticed Luke struggling to continue, but said noting to indicate that she was aware of his difficulty. His breathing was increasingly labored, and he stumbled repeatedly. Mara moved closer to the Jedi, and wrapped an arm around his waist to support him.  
  
He looked down at her, seemed about to protest, and then nodded in acceptance.  
  
"And that's another thing." Luke continued, " Why didn't we sense him?" Luke said glancing down at her and then turning his attention to the stars overhead.  
  
"The Emperor had a skill that I think was probably how he managed to overcome the Jedi Council. It was the ability to stifle the force in other users, and to hide his own presence in the force. When I was young, I overheard a conversation that led me to believe that when he was a senator, none of the Jedi were ever aware that he was a force user."  
  
"Handy skill."  
  
"And deadly."  
  
A whistling sound caused them to stop and they turned to regard R2D2 who was trying vainly to catch up to them. He was coated in red dust, a panel was missing from his dome, but otherwise he appeared to be in good order.  
  
"Artoo!" Luke exclaimed happily.  
  
Mara smiled, amused at the Jedi's attachment to the little droid and her growing fondness for the astromech droid. The little droid caught up to them and followed in their wake as they resumed their journey.  
  
Luke continued with their previous conversation, "How do you think he knew we were going to be here now?"  
  
They walked a few more steps, going slower as Luke relied more heavily on Mara's support. "Did you tell anyone about Yoda's visit?" she asked.  
  
"It seemed too personal, too important to share with any of the Jedi at the Academy. I just told Leia and I doubt she would have shared it with anyone except maybe Han."  
  
"Did you tell her in person?"  
  
Luke was quiet for a moment then said, "No. I sent her a message. You think he was monitoring our communication? I did use our family encrypts."  
  
Mara turned her head to meet Luke's gaze, finding his face disturbingly close she quickly turned away, "Those encrypts are really just intended to maintain your privacy against accidental reception, not against deliberate espionage. If you want to keep Leia informed, I suggest you ask Ghent to provide a personal encrypt code for you."  
  
They walked slowly for a few paces. Luke's breath was rattling in his chest and Mara was breathing heavily from the combined effort of obtaining enough air in the oxygen poor atmosphere and the added burden of assisting Skywalker. She did not want to suggest a rest however, because she feared that once they stopped, the Jedi would be unable to resume their journey to the ship.  
  
"I wonder how long this dark lord has been monitoring our communications?" Luke pushed his free hand into the side of his chest, as if to further support himself.  
  
"You are a high profile target. The Jedi Master and founder of the Jedi Academy. It would be a good idea for you to get a more secure method of communication anyways."  
  
"Another Sith lord." Luke muttered, "I thought I saw the end of them."  
  
"I don't think there will ever be an end to them. That's like trying to abolish evil. It just can't be done. We can only continue to fight it."  
  
Luke squeezed her quickly in a hug and Mara could feel the up swell of emotion her words evoked in him.  
  
She was panting now and she said between labored breaths, "Let's start by getting back to the ship."  
  
They made the rest of the journey in a companionable silence.  
  
Mara dropped into a seat opposite Skywalker the moment they entered the ship. After she regained her breath and felt as if the world had righted itself she retrieved the med kit. Luke painfully began to pull off his shirt. Mara assisted him by slowly pulling the fabric away from the dried blood on his chest. When she saw the ragged wounds she said, "Sith, Luke. They need to invent the portable bacta tank just for you."  
  
She began cleaning his wounds and he hissed at the pain. Luke said, "Bacta. I hate that stuff. It gets in your mouth, your nose, everywhere. You can't taste anything else for a few days later. Nasty stuff."  
  
"Yeah, well, you might want to remember that on a more regular basis." Mara attached a bacta patch to the worst of his wounds, her fingers lingering just a little longer than necessary against the skin of his bare chest. Luke reached to grab her hand and she pulled back and turned away. "I think you'll live. I'll run a toxicology screen through the Fire's computers to make sure that the wounds are free of contamination."  
  
Luke watched her retreat into the cockpit of the ship. His hand moved to his shoulder, where he could still feel the imprint of her touch on his skin.  
  
When she returned she poured some powder into a cup of water and handed it to Skywalker, "Here drink this. It's a broad range detox solution. Just in case."  
  
Luke nodded and drank the stuff. His face twisted at the taste, but he continued to down it until the cup was empty.  
  
"Sorry. I told you, you wouldn't like my cooking. They don't make these for taste."  
  
Luke slumped back against the couch. R2D2 plugged into a droid socket and began to whistle.  
  
Luke sat up abruptly and read the screen. He laughed and then stopped when his chest hurt, "Artoo says that he managed to download some files but they are indecipherable. Either they're encrypted or in some alien language. Artoo thinks that the Sith lord acquired the translation device, but not the actual message."  
  
Mara laughed, "So all we need is to break the code, so to speak and we'll be back on the trail again? I've got to hand it to you Skywalker. Your R2 unit is certainly one of a kind."  
  
"I know." Luke replied, pride evident in his tone.  
  
Artoo twittered happily as he transferred the information into a cube that Luke placed inside a small alcove in the base of his lightsaber. Mara watched this with some interest, admiring the ingenuity of the design.  
  
"I'll send Leia a copy of the files to see if C3P0 recognizes the language or if she can cross reference the information with the Coruscant language database."  
  
"Let Ghent have a crack at deciphering it as well, since he'll have to encode that message anyway." Mara suggested. "I have to return to Janus. I'll drop you off on Yavin so you can get your X-wing. I think Karrde is still on Callipso III if you want to get his people on the decryption process right away."  
  
Luke nodded, "How long do you expect to be on Janus?"  
  
Mara sighed, "Too long. This whole deal was supposed to be at the final stage, just a formality requiring my approval, but it seems to be getting more and more complex. I'll be there awhile."  
  
Luke had started to drift off and Mara said, "Let's get you settled so you can go into a healing trance." Luke was too tired to even reply. Once he was lying in his cot in the back, Mara returned to the cockpit. She did a scan on the Fire's exterior but did not find a tracking device. She knew this meant that there were none of the detectable kinds affixed to the outer hull of the ship. Perhaps their adversary, thinking he had acquired his objective, felt no need to stop them. She shrugged.  
  
Mara piloted the ship off Androden and set a course for Yavin.  
  
With a great effort, Luke entered a deep healing trance. His thoughts were muddled. He needed to clear his head. His dreams were filled with disjoined images of the Emperor bombarding his chest with painful force lightning. He was vaguely aware of thrashing about, getting tangled in a sheet. He felt a cool hand caress his brow and the violence evaporated from his dream, to be replaced by the memory of a red haired woman in his embrace. The fresh scent of her hair filled his nostrils. Peace descended on him and Luke slept.  
  
When Luke Skywalker awoke, he was lying in a private room in the medcenter on Yavin. A single white flower lay on his bedside table. He picked up the flower and examined it. He read the small electronic tag affixed to its stem. It contained Mara's personal frequency code to the Jade's Fire and a copy of her itinerary. He smelled the sweet fragrance of the bloom and smiled. 


	5. Part Five

Double Double Desire and Trouble By Rhea  
  
(Thanks to Jayde Star for the beta read!)  
  
Part Five  
  
One Galactic Standard Month Later  
  
Luke sat in silence regarding the X-wing pilot with quiet amusement. Dathor Whitesun was an old friend, one who he had actually thought died in a Rebel skirmish years ago. Luke did not bring this up not wanting to admit that although he had always regarded this person as a friend, he had not thought about him in years. He had aged well, looking relatively unchanged from the last time Luke had seen him.  
  
The talked well into the night. Luke was mostly killing time until he could meet with Talon Karrde and retrieve the message Ghent had worked so hard these past weeks to decrypt. Dathor, he suspected was just lonely and more than a little in awe that his friend was now the war hero and Jedi Master.  
  
"I can't believe Wedge is still flying an X-Wing," Dathor laughed.  
  
Luke shrugged, somewhat self-consciously, "They're good ships."  
  
"Don't tell me, you still have yours? I bet you still have that old astromech droid, too?"  
  
"We work well together," the blond man said, defensively.  
  
"But really, you're a Jedi now. I would have thought you would be piloting a battle cruiser or taken command of a larger vehicle."  
  
"That's not for me, Dathor."  
  
"What's it like being a Jedi? Can you read people's minds?"  
  
The cantina was busy despite the lateness of the hour. All manner of creatures imbibed drinks and half-heartedly watched the mediocre band play for meager tips. No matter how many times Luke attempted to drive the conversation in another direction, Dathor continued to return to the same subject.  
  
"I told you before, we don't operate like that Dathor."  
  
Luke was beginning to feel uncomfortable.  
  
"What about you and your sister Leia."  
  
"No, it's not true telepathy, not really. Not like the Bissen of Sector six."  
  
"How about you and Mara Jade? I've heard that you're pretty close."  
  
Luke grew thoughtful for a moment, distracted by the mention of the trader's name. "Yeah, we're close. I sometimes wish I could read her mind, but it's not like that. Look." Luke stood up, "I need to head out now. It was great to get a chance to talk to you."  
  
"Hey, Was it something I said?"  
  
"No, no I just have to meet someone" He offered his hand and the man waved him away seeming reluctant to touch the Jedi, "Glad we had this chance to chat."  
  
Luke shrugged. His force sense was buzzing mildly. He shrugged it off, not detecting any danger. The Jedi made his way out of the cantina and toward the rendezvous point. It was a relief to get out of the cloying smoke of the cantina. His ears buzzed slightly from the sudden cessation of noise. The Jedi decided that solitude was sometime vastly underrated. A little bit of peace and quiet might be nice, while he waited for Karrde to arrive. The air was still and the courtyard by the dry fountain was empty. This was the first moment during this evening that he really felt relaxed. Luke sat down on a tile bench and took a deep breath. He gazed up at the twin moons and waited.  
  
One Galactic Standard Day Later  
Mara Jade hated the numerous social functions that her current assignment demanded. She was at ease in her role as master trader and was well skilled in all the social graces, but it did not mean that she enjoyed these gatherings. Mara was eager to follow on the lead Skywalker had recently sent her. She sensed something, a flicker through the force. Mara glanced around the room unable to pinpoint the source of her unease. Mara took a sip of her drink, trying to make a show of listening to the Bothan diplomat, but not hearing a word he said. She absent-mindedly nodded and moved away from the talkative alien. Fortunately, a serving droid approached and Mara slipped away as the Bothan made a drink request.  
  
She peered across the dance floor spying more alien species than even she could identify. Her gaze stopped abruptly on a human male just a few meters away. He was garbed in dark clothing with a short cape covering one shoulder. His dark blonde hair shone in the pulsating lights of the party. He seemed to sense her regard and he turned to meet her gaze. His blue eyes captured her were she stood.  
  
The man's two companions noted his distraction and stopped their conversation. Mara hardly noticed their presence. She felt as if she could not breath. He smiled slightly in her direction and it seemed to break the spell that had caught her. She felt the edges of her mouth tip upward in a smile. She had received his message and had been expecting him, but not this soon.  
  
She set her glass down on a table and began to head in his direction. A large twi'lick barred her path and moved as if to grab her hand, "My dear girl. It is so good to see you again at last. I must claim this dance since I was denied the pleasure all those years ago in the Imperial court." The smile slipped from her face as she turned to inspect this new comer. It was a low level dignitary that she had been forced to entertain years ago at the Emperor's request.  
  
A flash of annoyance speared through Mara as she effortlessly avoided physical contact with the alien. Her hand went reflectively to the hilt of her lightsaber when a voice interrupted  
  
"Actually, she has already promised this dance to me." Luke stepped forwards, laying his hand on her arm, possessively.  
  
She knew that this gesture should irritate her, but oddly enough, it didn't. Mara's entire awareness became focused on the spot where Luke's hand touched her arm. She felt a warm flush spread across her skin and she mentally berated herself for her lack of control.  
  
He glanced intently into her eyes, and Mara turned her head away, hoping that the dim lighting would conceal her reaction. She reinforced the mental barrier between them. Mara had managed to hide her attraction from the Jedi Master for quite awhile, she was certainly not going to let her guard down now.  
  
"I'm sorry, but Skywalker is right," she said to the alien, glad to be rid of the stuffy bureaucrat, and not wanting anything to remind her of her time in the Emperor's service. Besides, she had detected a slight challenge in the Jedi's voice, and she would be damned if she backed down from Skywalker.  
  
The twi'lick bowed deeply and said, "Oh course, Jedi Master Skywalker."  
  
Fully committed, Mara allowed Luke to lead her into the dancing throng. The music was loud and she wondered if she overestimated her ability to suppress her reaction when the Jedi pulled her close and began to dance. Mara found it difficult to breath and she was hyperaware of her own state. She glanced up into the Jedi's face. His pupils were large and dark and his expression started her heart hammering loudly in her chest.  
  
Everything else faded into insignificance. She took a slow, deep breath and forced herself to relax. The music pulsed through her body and she leaned into Luke. Mara had always enjoyed dancing and she let herself revel in the movements, secretly glad that she was sharing this moment with Skywalker. As if sensing her thoughts, the hand that rested lightly on the small of her back pulled her closer, just enough, so that her body grazed against his. The smooth cloth of his dark cloak brushed against her cheek and she rested her head for a moment on his shoulder. This small motion prompted Luke to rest his cheek on the top of her head. The intimacy of the contact could not be denied. Mara made a conscious decision to still her thoughts, not wanting to analyze her feelings.  
  
"Thanks for saving me back there." Mara said, pulling back slightly to look into the Jedi's eyes.  
  
"My pleasure." Luke replied and a slow smile spread across his face, causing a warm sensation to bloom in her gut. A long strand of red-gold hair was still on his cheek. Mara absentmindedly brushed the strand away.  
  
Luke continued, "I guess you owe me one."  
  
Before Mara could muster an angry retort, Luke asked, "You wouldn't have actually pulled your lightsaber on him would you?"  
  
"I guess we'll never really know, will we." Mara replied a little too sweetly.  
  
She was glad to have an excuse to avoid contact with the diplomats and politician that were all too numerous at this ball. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Fine." He replied cautiously.  
  
"I got your message, but I didn't expect to see you so soon. What brings you to this party, Skywalker."  
  
"Do I need an excuse to see my girl?"  
  
"Your What!" Mara stopped dancing and stared at the Jedi with stunned amazement written on her face.  
  
Luke seemed to stumble and then quickly corrected, "I'm sorry, I forgot that you don't like me to say such things."  
  
Mara shook her head slowly looking at the man as if he had just grown tentacles. "I don't know what you're talking about." A distant part of her had thrilled that the Jedi had called her 'his girl', but it made no sense and she was determined to get to the bottom of this.  
  
"Come on, let's go some place private where we can talk." Luke grabbed her arm and pulled her past the dancing throng and onto the exterior deck.  
  
Night had fallen and the rings were low on the horizon almost out of sight. The rings, or the Coronet, consisted of innumerable small particles of differing orbits. It made entering or exiting the atmosphere extremely hazardous. Combined with the planetary shields, it made Janus a highly prized location for optimum security. The chaotic orbits as the fragments occasionally collided creating spectacular displays in the atmosphere.  
  
The thick clouds moved across the sky glittering with many tiny moons. It was strange to see that it was night again. Mara had not adjusted Janus' ten hour day. She was accustomed to Coruscant's twenty four hour day. Fortunately, most beings adhered to the Galactic Standard and adjusted their schedule to make allowanced for Janus' quick rotation.  
  
Luke motioned for her to go deeper into the shadows, leaving the noise of the party behind. The mountainous landscape was starkly beautiful. The elongated shadows were visible even in the dimly lit night.  
  
Mara followed Luke deeper on to the deserted balcony, motivated by an urge to understand his unusual behavior.  
  
Mara said, "Okay, out with it."  
  
"I don't understand." Luke stood fractionally closer to her than good manners indicated but Mara refused to step back.  
  
"What's with the strange comments?"  
  
A confused look crossed the Jedi's face and he seemed to gather his thoughts. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm not quite myself today."  
  
"Yeah, well, if I don't feel great I don't suddenly call you pet names."  
  
"Why don't you?"  
  
"What!"  
  
"Come on. It's all over the newsvids. Everyone knows about us."  
  
"Okay, Now I know there is something, wrong. There is no 'us'."  
  
Luke looked searchingly into her face. "Don't you want there to be an 'us'? I know you care about me. What, I'm not allowed to return the emotion?"  
  
Mara was too stunned to say anything. Luke's blue eyes glittered in the night with innocent enthusiasm.  
  
*Typical Nerf* Mara swore to herself. He just podraces his way into this and sees nothing wrong with his timing or approach.  
  
Luke took Mara's hand and her heart literally stopped beating for a moment, before pounding so hard she could hardly hear his next words. "Don't you know how I feel? Don't you trust me?"  
  
His words reminded her vividly of a previous time he had asked this question. Just outside the entrance to the caves of Androden. Then she recalled all the times that this particular man was the only one who had trusted her. He had remained a constant and true friend, never doubting her. She had almost enjoyed all the times she had come running to his rescue, needing to be needed, desiring to be an integral part of his life.  
  
"How could you ask that Skyw. . .Luke?"  
  
She pulled her hand out of his grip and turned to walk away. Mara looked out over the balcony, seeing none of the natural beauty. Her focus remaining on the man behind her.  
  
"I just need you to accept me, Mara. For the majority of my life I've been on the run, fighting against the darkness. Wondering if I'd ever be safe, ever be truly free, never truly living. I had to ask Ghent to encode a message I sent to my own sister."  
  
"I know, Luke." Mara turned from the balcony railing to regard the serious man. The lines seemed to deepen in his face. Half his features were hidden in shadows. She could sense a desperation in him, a determination that was somewhat uncharacteristic, almost alien in its intensity.  
  
"Do you think the message with be safe?"  
  
Mara felt somewhat thrown by the question, but tried to pull her thoughts away from his emotional outburst to the content of his question. "Ghent is the best slicer I know. If anyone can keep the message safe, it's him."  
  
"But what if it isn't? What then?"  
  
"I don't think the Sith lord's going to find out a way to decrypt his copy of the map and discover the location of the Jedi Trust, Luke. Not without your decode sequence. Ghent's encrypts are airtight and your sister is quite capable of ensuring its safety."  
  
Luke's head turned quickly, his eyes piercing her with his bright blue gaze. Mara moved hesitantly forward, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. A feeling of unease began to tickle the back of her mind.  
  
"Thank you." Luke said and his head bent toward her to meet her mouth. Mara did not pull away, her eyes grew wide as his mouth began a slow, sensual exploration of her lips. She had wanted this for so long, but she sensed something amiss. She threw her arms around his neck, trying to banish the unease. Mara pressed herself against his body and tried not to think. She reached out through the force, trying to read Luke's emotions and reeled back when she sensed shock.  
  
Across the room.  
  
Her head whipped around to settle on Luke Skywalker, his mouth agape.  
  
Mara's hand dropped to her lightsaber as she turned to regard the man who had just kissed her. His eyes opened slowly, the low smile slipping from his lips when he quickly took in the presence of their witness. He could have been Luke's identical twin. They regarded each other for a fraction of a second. Then the man standing next to Mara, dashed down the long balcony and into the lighted room beyond, through a secondary doorway.  
  
Mara pursued him, but could see no trace of his retreat. Her mind was working quickly, filling in all the blanks, attempting to add all the facts. What the hell had just happened?  
  
"What's going on?" Luke whispered in her ear, making her jump. He was dressed in his Jedi blacks, minus the fashionable cape. "Was he a clone?" Luke asked.  
  
"No. Not a clone-Look for someone in drab Jedi black." Mara spat out. She was angry at herself, angry at the world, but in particular, angry at Skywalker.  
  
Luke wisely kept quiet and he broke off into the crowd of dancers, scanning the dignitaries for any sign of his imposter. It was useless, Mara knew. He was gone. They would find no trace of him. Mara knew that the man would no longer look anything like Luke Skywalker and he had probably rotated the cape to reveal a new color, further changing his appearance. It would not take him long to leave the party far behind.  
  
When Luke returned, he took Mara by the arm. The gesture was so like the action of his imposter that Mara smiled ruefully to herself.  
  
"We need to talk." Luke said.  
  
Mara nodded.  
  
Luke and Mara pushed their way past the oblivious dancers, hardly noticing Han Solo as he tried to flag them down from across the room. They walked through the corridors, the sound of their footsteps echoing dully. Mara's mind replayed the evening events over and over, making her head ache. Luke punched a code into the door lock and they entered his suite.  
  
"It was a shape shifter," She said the moment they sat down on the long royal blue couch..  
  
"And you couldn't tell that it wasn't me?" Luke asked, unable to keep the hurt from edging his voice.  
  
"I tried to sense you. I mean him. I could sense his emotions, but it's not as if you can't keep a shield between us."  
  
Luke sighed and leaned back into the couch covering his eyes with the back of one hand. His hand dropped to his side and he turned his penetrating gaze on her, "Why don't you tell me everything that happened."  
  
Mara nodded and she gathered her thoughts, "I was at the party representing Karrde's organization when a functionary I really disliked asked me to dance."  
  
Luke nodded.  
  
"Then you showed up, or I though it was you, and said that I had promised this dance to you. I was so relieved to see you and to get rid of that annoying twi'lick that I didn't think much of it. I had gotten your message and was expecting you, so I had no reason to question your appearance."  
  
Luke leaned forward slowly nodded for her to continue. Mara took a deep breath, "You. . .He seemed depressed, upset. He started to talk about how the war had taken over so much of his life. He mentioned feeling upset that he was always worried about safety, always having to ensure security." Mara sat straight up, "That's it. He was after the information about your encrypted message to Leia. Damn. And I fell into the trap like an unseasoned padawan. I even mentioned the Jedi Trust."  
  
Luke took her hand, somewhat awkwardly and said, "You can't blame yourself. It was a perfectly understandable mistake."  
  
Mara began to shake her head in denial but Luke interrupted, "What happened next?"  
  
Mara colored, pulled her hand out of his grip and muttered, "Nothing. It's not important."  
  
There was an extended silence finally broken by Luke's whispered question, "Why did you kiss him, Mara?"  
  
Mara turned her green gaze to meet the Jedi's eyes directly. "Are all men so dense, or is it just the Jedi?" She stood up and began to pace the room, "He asked me to trust him. I thought it was you, Luke. I could feel his desire. I think he believed the gossipvids that say we are a couple. He just treated me like a lover. I should have realized how out of character it was for you. I was a fool and I'm sorry you saw that."  
  
Mara walked across the room, her back to him.  
  
Luke stood up and approached her silently. He wanted to say something but was at a complete loss for words. Then, the moment was gone.  
  
"We have to warn Leia." Mara said turned to face him.  
  
"I'll contact the Academy and dispatch someone to guard the Catacomb on Coruscant." Luke added.  
  
Mara nodded in agreement, "I think I'm going to get some sleep. I'll see you later." She left the room before Luke had any idea on how to stop her.  
  
Luke watched the door close running through a series of things he should have said, things he should have done. Luke combed his fingers through his hair replaying the scene on the balcony in his head. He felt almost too many emotions to name, and was confused at the sheer intensity of them. He was angry that someone had impersonated him, upset that Mara had kissed that same person, and somehow filled with gratification as well.  
  
He ran his hands over his face and decided to go after her.  
  
* * * * *The door closed behind her. Mara raised her head and almost walked right into Han Solo. Han put out a hand to steady her, all the while she was mentally berating herself for her lack of concentration. What was wrong with her lately? But she knew the answer to that questions - Luke Skywalker.  
  
"Mara, What's wrong? I saw you and Luke dash out of that balcony, actingpretty strange. Not that I blame you for making a fast getaway from that party."  
  
Mara regarded him silently trying to formulate an answer.  
  
"What's with you and Luke?" Han prompted.  
  
"You mean aside form the usual?"  
  
Han laughed.  
  
"Someone was impersonating Skywalker," *and he caught me kissing his imposter,* Mara added silently.  
  
"Wait a minute, you're telling me that wasn't Luke that I brought here in the Falcon?"  
  
"Well yes, I mean probably it was. He's here too, the real Luke."  
  
"So you're saying a clone of Luke is running around here somewhere?" Han shook his head.  
  
"No, actually it was a shape shifter. He was after some information."  
  
"This sound serious. Do you know what he wanted?"  
  
Mara grimaced, "Yeah. A message Luke sent to Leia."  
  
"Leia!" Han exclaimed.  
  
The door to Luke's room opened and the Jedi joined them in the corridor. "I'm sure she's alright, Han." Luke said soothingly.  
  
"I sure hope you're right." Han's mouth twisted, he continued, "This whole thing smells worse than the inside of a Taun taun."  
  
"Sorry, Han." Mara apologized.  
  
"Hey, it's not your fault. I think I'm going to head out, check on Leia and the kids."  
  
"I understand." Luke replied.  
  
"You want to come with me?" he asked Luke.  
  
"No." Luke shook his head and met Mara's gaze. "I'd like to get to the bottom of this."  
  
Han nodded in understanding. He walked so fast he might as well be running. Luke and Mara watched as he disappeared around the corner.  
  
"This is all my fault." Mara said.  
  
"Don't be so hard on yourself. It's not as if you meet a shape shifter ever day, and he must have known what he was doing."  
  
Something about this last comment, caused Mara to study the Jedi, his expression was earnest and he leaned forward toward her. Mara retreated until she felt the wall pressed against her back.  
  
"So tell me again, what this shape shifter said before he kissed you." Luke said, his eyes dark, his expression intense.  
  
Mara's eyes darted to his lips and up to his bright blue gaze. She licked her lips and said, "I already told you what happened. Why is it important that we go over every little detail?"  
  
"Because I want to know how he managed to do what I've always dreamed of." Luke raised his hand and slowly caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. Mara closed her eyes and leaned ever so slightly into his hand. Her blood had become thick and hot in her veins and the very act of breathing seemed to take all of her concentration. She opened her eyes to see Luke bend his head and meet her lips.  
  
She threw her arms around him, their force senses swirling about each other that made her wonder how the other could have ever fooled her into believing that he was Luke Skywalker. The Jedi groaned and pulled her up against his body, pressing her hard against the wall. She felt light-headed and doubted she could stand without his support. Their mouths moved in a passionate urgency, their hands roamed with a desperation that was explosive.  
  
The sound of a throat clearing made them break apart guiltily. Luke's face was flushed; Mara's hair was disarrayed. Han stood there with a lopsided smile and said, "Sorry, kid. I didn't mean to interrupt a tender moment, but I forgot to ask if you wanted a ride back to Coruscant with me in the Falcon."  
  
"Don't worry. It'll be alright." Luke told the Corellian. He pulled his shirt down in a vain attempt to regain his composure.  
  
Mara cleared her throat and said, "I have room in the Jade's Fire," Mara reddened wondering how that must sound to the Corellian after what he just witnessed.  
  
"Right." Han said dryly, "Keep me posted, about your mission I mean."  
  
Luke, Mara, and Han stood awkwardly in the corridor regarding each other. It took all of Mara's training to not turn and leave. "Well, I got clearance to go, so I'll be seeing ya' kid. Take care."  
  
"You too, Han. Say hi to Leia and the kids for me." Han saluted mischievously and turned and left the hallway.  
  
When he was gone, Mara said, "Well that was embarrassing."  
  
"Sorry." Luke said. "Why don't we go back to my room."  
  
Mara looked at him pointedly.  
  
"To talk."  
  
"Oh well, that's no fun." Mara said sardonically.  
  
"And anything else you might like."  
  
Mara's heart started beating double time and she reddened again.  
  
Luke started to laugh, "I didn't know Mara Jade knew how to blush. Face it Jade, you asked for that one."  
  
"Yeah, I guess I did. Come on farmboy, I don't want another interruption, like this last one." She grabbed Luke's hand and dragged him into the room. This time it was Luke who blushed.  
  
(Please read and review. And please be kind and don't give away the surprise! Thanks! I'll have the next part up soon! ) 


	6. Part Six

Top of Form Bottom of Form Double Double Desire and Trouble By Rhea  
  
Part Six  
  
This section is Rated R (I've placed a definition of that below from the movie rating system) If anyone is under 18 or does not feel comfortable reading sexual situations, please do not continue with this story. Thanks! Rated - R: Parental consent required for reading by anyone under the age of 18; stories may contain descriptions of sexual intercourse but will probably not be fully explicit. They may contain descriptions of full nudity but these should not be over-explicit. May also contain strong language, or more graphic violence.  
  
*****  
  
The minute the door closed an awkward silence descended between them. Luke wanted more than anything to pull Mara into his arms and resume what had started in the hallway , but his courage seemed to have left him. He mentally chastised himself. He could fly an X-wing and take out the Death Star, willingly confront Darth Vader and the Emperor, but he could not cross the few paces that separated him from the beautiful woman standing just inside his suite.  
  
Mara raised an arched eyebrow at him. Her green eyes sparkling as if daring him to make the next move.  
  
"You want a drink?" Luke asked, watching her carefully, extending his force sense in an effort to read her mood.  
  
"No." Mara replied succinctly. A determined look graced her features and she walked deliberately toward the Jedi. There was a predatory gleam in her eye. The edges of her mouth tipped upward in a smile and she said, "I want you."  
  
The boldness of this statement took his breath away. Despite the bravado of her attitude, Luke could sense an unease begin to creep across her sense as if she was starting to doubt his response. This knowledge swept away any vestige of doubt, any lingering shyness.  
  
He smiled broadly and said, "So what are you waiting for?" A broad smile spread across her face and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned against his chest, watching his expression closely.  
  
"This will change our relationship." She warned, her hands unclipping his utility belt. It fell heavily to the ground.  
  
"I hope so," Luke said earnestly, his hands cupping her face to peer deeply into her eyes. A wave of desire rolled between them and they joined in a long searing kiss. Their lips moved in a heady exchange of passion, hearts thumping in unison, hands caressing the length of their bodies.  
  
Mara pressed her palms against the bare skin of Luke's back, pushing the smooth, dark material of his shirt aside. She began to work at the edge and Luke pulled away from the kiss to remove the tunic in a fluid motion. The sight of his bared chest made her throat go dry. Luke's mouth tipped upward in a somewhat smug smile, when he caught the flash of desire in her sense.  
  
Mara's mouth twisted and she prepared to say some scathing remark about male ego but the Jedi quickly cut her off with another kiss. Her momentary ire was lost as she was once again caught in the moment. Luke pulled the fastening at the back of Mara's dress. She lowered her arms to allow the material to cascade to the floor leaving her attired in her under things. Luke stopped cold, his eyes glittering.  
  
Mara's lips curved into a satisfied smile, and she understood Luke's similar response to her own arousal when she viewed his naked chest. She was flattered by his obvious pleasure at her state of undress.  
  
"I'm the luckiest man alive." He said and picked her up in his arms. Mara gave an almost inaudible yelp and then laughed as she threw her arms around his neck. She kicked off her shoes as he carried her toward the bed. He laid her almost reverently on the plush bedcovering.  
  
Luke removed his shoes, standing at the foot of the bed. Mara watched as he crawled across the covers on hands and knees to join her. His arms flexed as he moved. His eyes peered intently into her own. Mara suddenly felt nervous. She did not doubt her desire for this man, or have an urge to stop him. She just felt the weight of what they were about to do, the way it would change everything. She did not want to jeopardize their friendship or disappoint him in anyway.  
  
When he reached her, he sensed her hesitation and said, "We don't have to do this, you know, if it's too soon."  
  
Somehow, by saying this, Mara felt her uncertainty evaporate. She smiled invitingly and reached up for him, "You're not going to get away from me so easily, Skywalker."  
  
Luke chuckled and he closed the remaining distance. He pressed against her so that they were chest to chest. His face was a few inches from her own, "I have no desire to be any place else." He breathed.  
  
Mara felt a warmth spread across her entire being at his words and she pulled him down on her, kissing him feverishly.  
  
Luke groaned and responded in kind. Their desire was almost violent in its intensity, radiating through a growing bond in the force. They worked to removed the remainder of their clothing. They took their time, hands roaming freely, their mouths exploring, reveling in this newly found intimacy between them.  
  
Luke trailed a line of kisses that left a burning trail from Mara's neck, across her breasts, over her stomach, and down the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. Mara writhed, driving her fingers through Luke's blond hair, clutching frantically. His face was flushed and his eyes almost black as he gazed at her, just as lost as she. Mara urged him back up, claiming his mouth again.  
  
"I want all of you. Now." She demanded.  
  
Luke caught his breath and moved to comply. He edged her legs apart and pulled her to him. Their eyes locked, their hair crackling with the building force energy in the room. Luke grabbed Mara's hand, pushing in to the bed and she grasped it tightly. They joined in one swift motion. The room became still.  
  
Mara's eyes drifted shut. She revealed in the feel of him within her, the weight of him pressing her into the bed.  
  
Luke whispered, "Look at me."  
  
Her eyes fluttered open. He withdrew and then plunged deeply again setting a heady pace. They moved together smooth as velvet, the rhythm causing pleasure to cascaded through them. Mara felt as if she were drowning in his eyes, but instead of being smothered, she was complete - whole for the first time. She felt Luke's thoughts and knew that he was experiencing the same sensations. Their emotions were too complex to name and they rode the wave together.  
  
She wanted this moment to never end. Their movements caused soft involuntary gasps of pleasure to issue from their mouths. Mara pushed him and Luke rolled over so that he was beneath her. Her hair hung like a red gold curtain at the sides of Luke's face. She rocked against him, gasping in satisfaction. He grasped her and began to kiss her in such a way that Mara felt as if her heart would melt.  
  
It was at that moment that she knew she never wanted another man. There would never be anyone else for her. The tension intensified until it became almost unbearable. Their thoughts became one. The force swirled around them joining them on an even deeper level. Their motions were like a well choreographed dance, perfectly in sync to one another. The pleasure swelled, overwhelming them both. Reaching the pinnacle they cried out in unison.  
  
Mara collapsed on Luke's chest. His arms wrapped tightly around her. The bliss ebbed away, leaving them sated and content. They lay together, holding each other, unspeaking, listening to their hearts slow to a more normal rhythm.  
  
Their emotions were too fresh to talk about. Both of them were stunned by the power of their joining. They shifted into a more comfortable embrace, never releasing their hold on each other. Luke absentmindedly ran his hand up and down Mara's spine. She felt her eyelids grow heavy. Her thoughts were in turmoil, but her heart sang.  
  
"I had no idea, it could be like that." Luke said, his voice barely above a whisper  
  
Mara shifted to meet his gaze. "Are you sure this is real? Maybe this is just a heat of the moment kind of thing. How do we know that this wasn't some one time fluke?" There was genuine concern in her voice.  
  
Luke could sense her confusion. Her statement stuck him to the core and he tried to keep the hurt from showing.  
  
"Well." He said slowly, "I guess, we'll just have to test it them." He began to nibble her ear, his caresses becoming more ardent.  
  
"Luke!" Mara exclaimed.  
  
He stopped and raised on eyebrow, "I like the way you say my name, much better than Skywalker." The devilish expression on his face with the barely concealed smile made her grin.  
  
Her heart expanded and she said, "You do. Do you? Keep that up and you might just hear it some more."  
  
"Hmmmmm." Luke said pleasantly. He no longer even attempted to hide the grin. The lines around his eyes crinkled and she could sense his humor. His hands left goose bumps as they caressed her flesh.  
  
"Aren't you tired?" Mara asked with some difficulty.  
  
Without conscious thought, she had began to touch him, loving the way he felt against her. He gasped and then said, "You want me to stop?" There was a definite note of challenge in his question.  
  
Mara moaned, "Oh no. Don't you ever stop."  
  
He chuckled and said between quick kisses, "We might have to venture out for food and water every now and again."  
  
Mara straddled him and began to moved boldly against him.  
  
"Oh Force! Who needs food?" Luke said as he grabbed her.  
  
They made love throughout the night. With each successive time, the pleasure grew as they learned more about each other.  
  
It was many hours later when Mara woke up to find the bed empty. She glanced at the chrono. "Stang!"  
  
She leapt out of bed and dashed into the fresher. After donning last night's evening gown she stumbled right into Luke in her hurry to exit. He put out an arm to steady her.  
  
His hair was damp and he wore casual pants and a tan tank. He gave her a smile and said, "I figured I'd finally make good and cook you breakfast."  
  
Her heart turned over at the sight of him. "I gotta' go."  
  
The smile fled his face and he blocked her exit with his arms, placing them on either side of her head. "Don't go." He said in a low voice.  
  
"I'm late for a conference. Karrde is going to kill me if he finds out."  
  
Luke's demeanor grew less solemn and he kissed her. At first she resisted, but the scent and feel of him was too much. Mara melted into his arms returning the kiss, and then jerked back, "Sith, Luke. You're like a drug. I have to go. I can't go to the Conference dressed like this."  
  
"Do you want me to call them, make an excuse?" Luke offered.  
  
"Like what? That I'm late because you've ravished me for half the night."  
  
"Actually, it was the whole night." Luke chuckled.  
  
Mara groaned and pushed back the laughing Jedi. She felt a pang of regret as she passed the small kitchen table set for two. It was ladened with a lavish breakfast that would go uneaten. It could not be helped. She left the room.  
  
Luke watched the door closed behind Mara, wondering what the future had in store for them. He wondered what Han would say if he asked his advice about what he should do. He knew that he could not push things with Mara, or she might feel pressured and flee. She never wanted to commit to being a Jedi, what made him think she would commit to him?  
  
He sat down, gazing at the empty chair across from him. He ate breakfast, not tasting a thing. He tossed Mara's into the trash chute. Luke noticed with some surprise, he had a communication. When he activated the small screen set into the wall, a simple text message scrolled across the screen "Meet me in the Observatory in one hour - Mara."  
  
Luke smiled. That was fast. He moved with decidedly more energy as he set about getting ready.  
  
On his way to the Observatory, Luke detoured to the landing pad. Luke studied the shipyard manifests R2D2 had conveniently procured during the night shift. There were hundreds of departures in the last few hours and Luke berated himself for failing to immediately track the imposter. He smiled broadly, remembering the reason for this oversight. They would catch up with the Sith lord later. He would not trade the memories of last night for anything. He absentmindedly touched the screen when he saw the Millennium Falcon listed on the register.  
  
There was no way to tell which ship the shape shifter had used to escape. The Coronet had rotated high in the sky and it was impossible to leave the planet for another eight hours. The main landing was relatively empty. He left R2D2 chatting with the Jade's Fire's computers. Luke hoped Mara would not be too upset when she found out that the droid had taken up residence in her ship.  
  
The Observatory was a local tourist attraction on Janus. It was a large, opulent room filed with comfortable seating and rare Alderaanian wood furniture. It had thousands of holoprojectors feeding live images of various planets of the galaxy. There were a few aliens activating the projectors in parts of the large room, but it was relatively quiet this time of day. The holoprojectors could zoom in on a lower level street on Coruscant and watch the pedestrian traffic or the crisscrossing ships layering the airways above the city planet.  
  
There was a strange tingling at the back of Luke's mind, but he could not focus on the source. He glanced around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Luke shrugged. He activated the holoprojector nearest him. Luke chose to watch the twin suns slowly set over Kenobi's abandoned home in the Dune Sea. He could see evidence of disrepair and made a note to arrange for maintenance on the site.  
  
He glanced up and noticed the slim figure of Mara Jade. Her back was to him and she was gazing at Androden. Luke was startled to see her. He had not sensed her arrival and was somewhat hurt that she had raised her shields blocking his sense. He shut the holoprojector down, the image of Tatooine vanishing.  
  
He walked slowly to meet the red haired trader. She turned to greet him, a cautious smile on her face. She was dressed in a beige utilitarian outfit. Her demeanor made him uncomfortable as if the events of last night had never occurred.  
  
"How did the conference go?" Luke asked.  
  
Mara nodded absently, "Fine." She adjusted her holoprojector so that they could see an ariel view of Janus. The rings spun spectacularly in orbit around the planet.  
  
"I'm just about done here. When do you want to leave?" Mara asked perfunctorily.  
  
"Whenever you're ready."  
  
First Mara left in a rush this morning, leaving no opportunity to discuss the change in their relationship, and now she was cold and remote. He wondered if she regretted what had happened between them and intended to act as if the passion of last night had never occurred. Luke felt a part of him grow cold inside, but he was filled with a fierce determination to not give up.  
  
He knew Mara was reluctant to express her emotions. He stretched out toward the woman standing before him and was rebuffed, pushed aside with a grace that was both subtle and powerful. The bond was still there, distant but intact. He could feel her within him resonating in the force.  
  
Luke moved forward, his eyebrows drawing together slightly. "What's wrong Mara? You seem distant."  
  
"Do I?" She laughed, although there was no humor in her tone. "I thought that was the order for the day."  
  
Luke's confusion grew. He took her hand, trying to read her sense.  
  
She pulled her hand out of his grasp casually, avoiding eye contact. "I'm sorry, Skywalker. I guess I'm just upset about that imposter incident. Do you have any idea what he was after?"  
  
"I think so." Luke replied slowly, confused at her train of thought. This whole meeting had a surreal quality to it. His heart beat dully in his chest, and he flexed his artificial hand in a nervous gesture.  
  
"Do you think it was the decrypt command?"  
  
Luke's face grew contemplative. "Probably. You know he wants the Jedi Vault."  
  
"Did Ghent even tell you the command?"  
  
A strange looks flickered across his face. He straightened his shoulders, understanding coming to him. "Of course he did. You know that, and I believe he told you too."  
  
"Of course he did. I just wanted to verify that you had the information."  
  
"Tell me the decrypt command, Mara."  
  
"Oh no, I'm not going there again. I was fooled once. Why don't you tell me the unlock sequence to prove you're really who you appear to be." Mara's voice was challenging. She glared up at the Jedi.  
  
"Alright," he said slowly and then with resignation, "It's Rogue Epsilon Obi-wan."  
  
Mara was noncommittal her expression blank. Luke watched her expectantly.  
  
"Ok." She said slowly. She smiled and then glanced down at her wristchoro, "Stang! I didn't realize it was so late. The conference break is almost over. I'll meet with you later."  
  
Luke watched her dash off without attempting to stop her. Once she was out of sight, he smiled ruefully to himself.  
  
[pic][pic]  
  
(Thanks again to Jayde Star for the beta read! Please review!) Bottom of Form 


	7. Part Seven

Double Double Desire and Trouble  
  
By Rhea  
Part Seven  
  
Luke flipped a switch using the force and the holoprojector hummed again, and returned his attention to the desert planet on the three dimensional image. The projector went dark suddenly. The Janus probe was probably destroyed. These imagining devices were extremely unpopular on some worlds, particularly on Tatooine. He smiled ruefully to himself. Luke, himself, had shot down at least two when he was growing up.  
  
He thought about their mission, about the Sith lord that tried to stop them, and about the shape shifter that had assumed his form. Luke wanted to talked to Yoda and get more guidance, but somehow he knew that was impossible. He thought about Ben Kenobi, but knew that he had passed beyond his reach. For a moment, he felt like a farm boy again, longing to know what was out there and frustrated that the knowledge was denied him. He thought these feelings would be gone for good the moment he shook the sands of Tatooine off his boots.  
  
He turned around to leave and stopped when he caught a glimpse red-gold hair. Mara had her back to him. She was seated in an alcove almost completely hidden from view by a large globe of Janus. She stared sightlessly at a blank holoprompt requesting input.  
  
Mara's thoughts were in a tangle, her emotions even worse. She had ducked into this secluded corner of the Observatory in an attempt to find a place where she could think. A place where Skywalker would not find her. She tried to sort through the events of the past few months. Nothing that involved Skywalker was ever simple or easy. She remembered last night. Her heart sped up at the very thought of him. Her skin tingled and she ached in places that she did not even know she had muscles. The connection between them was growing ever stronger, and she both reveled and dreaded this strengthening bond. Mara could feel him with her even now.  
  
She quickly realized that he was standing just outside the alcove. She reinforced her shields, not ready to expose her vulnerability. Mara's back was rigid and her heart hammered nervously within her breast. She quickly keyed in a planet and pretended to be engrossed in studying the display swirling before her, not ready to face him yet.  
  
"Mara?" Luke stepped tentatively into the alcove. Mara looked up and felt a guilty flush spread across her face.  
  
"Skywalker." She responded a little more coolly than she intended.  
  
"Aren't you supposed to be in a conference?" He moved methodically closer and sat across from her so that they could gaze at the display, but still see face to face.  
  
Luke could sense a flash of frustration through the force. "Yes, but I've had enough of this. Karrde can send someone else. I'm through." Mara's face had returned to a more normal color.  
  
He smiled slightly. "I see. So you left the conference prematurely and came in here to study the ice planes of Hoth."  
  
Mara glanced at the white swirling planet spinning before her with a start. Had she actually asked to display that frozen wasteland?  
  
"How long have you been here, Mara?" Luke asked, his voice was as smooth as Corellian ale. Mara dragged her gaze away from the abandoned world to meet the Jedi's gaze.  
  
"I don't know. An hour, maybe two." She replied softly. She lowered her eyes and watched with great interest as she twined and untwined her fingers. She was cold although it was temperate in the Observatory. Luke slid closer to her, took her grasped hands, and caressed them. Her first impulse was to tell him to stop, but the words would not issue from her mouth.  
  
Mara slowly raised her eyes. It moved from his tanned hands gently holding hers, traveling up his traditional Jedi uniform with a small square cut out at the base of his neck. Her eyes slowed to inspect the cleft in his chin and his slightly parted lips. She could see the faint evidence of old scars across his cheek and was caught in the brilliant blue of his eyes. He watched her unwaveringly, his expression shuttered. She tried to sense him, but encountered an impenetrable barrier.  
  
"How do I know it's really you, Mara."  
  
"What?" She asked, startled. She tried to pull her hands out of his grasp, but he held on tightly.  
  
"You say that you've been here for more than an hour, but I just talked to you in the main Observatory just a few minutes ago."  
  
Mara sat upright. She immediately understood what had happened. "The Imposter."  
  
"You're not the only one who can be fooled." Luke agreed.  
  
Mara felt a swift rage, wondering what the shape shifter had done. "That wasn't me. I went to the conference then came to this alcove to think. This is the first time that I've seen you since . . . this morning."  
  
Luke nodded. "But how can I be sure its you?"  
  
After a slight pause, Mara said, "Anger, Fear, Aggression, A colorful wardrobe, the dark side are they."  
  
"There goes the last of my doubt." Luke replied wryly.  
  
"Turn about is fair play. What about you?"  
  
Luke thought for a moment and then said, "You are a prisoner to your past. You have the potential to be a great Jedi, but you fear losing yourself if you commit to the training."  
  
Mara opened her mouth to argue and then said, "Ok. No one but the real Luke Skywalker could say that and really mean it like you do."  
  
Luke was not sure if that was a compliment or an insult.  
  
"So our shape shifter was masquerading as me?" Mara asked.  
  
"Yep, and I gave her the code."  
  
"You did what?!"  
  
"I gave her the decrypt code."  
  
Mara sighed and then said, "Where did the shape shifter go?"  
  
"Now that our spy has the information that he has been seeking, I think we've seen the last of him."  
  
Mara nodded and then asked unable to prevent herself "And you thought this imposter was me."  
  
"I did . . . at first." A slight smile was cresting the edges of his mouth.  
  
A sly look crossed her face. "What exactly does this code do?"  
  
"The message that Artoo retried on Androden was essentially a series of coordinates. I sent a copy of the encrypted message to Leia. I wanted to make sure that she would have the information so that she could arrange for additional security at the location. So, Ghent re-encrypted the message with a multilayered encrypt. He knew that it was very likely that someone would try to intercept the message and attempt to break his code. So, being the expert slicer, he decided to give them something to decrypt."  
  
Mara nodded her head in understanding, a smile stretching across her face, "With false information."  
  
"Right."  
  
"So what are the false coordinates."  
  
"The inside of a Sarlaac pit on Tatooine."  
  
Mara started laughing, her face turning red, as she held her stomach in an attempt to stop the ache that had begun to form there.  
  
Luke joined her in the laughter. He wheezed, "Mara you've got to breath!"  
  
"Oh Luke." She collapsed on him, the laugher beginning to die away.  
  
When their laughter faded, they were left smiling, their faces so close their noses were almost touching. Their eyes locked and they remained gazing at each other for a long moment. They shifted minutely closer.  
  
"Excuse me, Are you using that holoprojector?"  
  
They turned and saw an older man dressed in a dingy flight suit, a beard many days old lining his jaw. He looked at them expectantly.  
  
"We're done here." Mara replied and rose to her feet. Luke smiled politely to the man and followed Mara out of the alcove. He watched her, feeling the distance widen between them on more than a physical level.  
  
"Wait up." He said and jogged to close the length between them. "Where are you going?"  
  
"To get my stuff. I want to get the Fire ready for departure."  
  
The conference had ended and the Observatory was filling with attendees. Seeing them, Mara said fiercely, "Let's go." She did not want to get caught in a discussion with one of her associates.  
  
They left. Luke knew they needed to clear the air between them, and the more time that passed the harder it would be, but he knew that this was not the place for such a discussion.  
  
"I'll get my stuff and meet you at the Fire." Mara said to the Jedi.  
  
"We have a few hours before we can get clearance to leave. The Coronet is still high in the sky."  
  
"And let our imposter get a head start? I'm not going to ask for clearance, and I'm not worried about navigating past the planetary rings." They had left the Observatory and were walking in an elevated hallway lined with windows. They had a spectacular view of the mountains and the rings moving like a strip of rocky clouds across the sky. They paused for a moment to gaze at the sight. One small rock impacted with the planetary shield, making the sky flash an electric green for a second before the rogue satellite disintegrated.  
  
"What about the shield?" Luke asked.  
  
Mara was silent for a moment and then said, "I think we can fly around it."  
  
Luke looked dubiously at her, and then he realized that she was trying to avoid prolonged contact with him. The Jedi gazed at her. Mara met his gaze and then turned away. "You're running away."  
  
She glared at him. "I am not." She resumed walking down the hallway, her paced slowed after a few steps and then she turned to regard him. "Am I?"  
  
"Last night . . ."  
  
"Was a mistake. I know." Mara finished for him.  
  
Luke reeled back, a hurt look crossing his features before he regained his composure.  
  
". . .was the most wonderful experience of my life." Luke finished.  
  
"Oh." Mara said, her voice small and contrite.  
  
"Do you think it was a mistake?" Luke asked, grabbing her arm and turning her to face him. She could feel his anger. His eyebrows were drawn together and his face was tense. The grip on her arm bordered on painful.  
  
"Let go of me." She pulled her arm from his grasp and he released her arm. He exhaled heavily. Luke turned and stormed away.  
  
"Luke." She called after him, but he did not turn around.  
  
She cursed herself. Why hadn't she told him the truth? Mara walked slowly to her suite. When she was there she began to methodically pack her belongings. She shoved the metallic object that she had taken from the Sith on Andronden. She crammed it into her pocket. Maybe it was better this way, but she felt as if her heart was breaking. Mara was not sure she could ever be a Jedi, and he deserved to be with someone more suited for him. They had passion, and even a fragile force bond, but she could not picture the Emperor's Hand with the Jedi Master. Even as she said these things to herself, she knew the real truth. The truth that she avoided facing. She was afraid. Mara Jade did not fall in love. A little voice in the back of her head laughed at her. 'Ah, but you did' it mocked, and she felt her stomach flip when she thought of Skywalker.  
  
She sat heavily on the bed, buried her face in her hands, and wept silently.  
  
Luke slumped back on the couch in his suite. A part of him was tempted to let Mara leave without him, but the hurt and anger faded quickly and he knew he was reacting emotionally. It would do nothing to repair their relationship.  
  
He tried unsuccessfully to meditate and then gave up, turning instead to the manual task of packing his belongings. He tried to recall what he had done to drive her away. Luke's thoughts immediately turned to the events of the evening. It had been good between them. Force, it had been extraordinary. He smiled ruefully. He could not get himself to actually regret making love to Mara, but he conceded that perhaps they had let passion rule them. They had formed no commitment, had never verbalized any deeper emotions than friendship.  
  
They had the flight back to Coruscant ahead of them. Perhaps, they could amend their rift en route. Luke decided that he might have pushed Mara, and they had moved too fast. Maybe it was best if he stepped back and gave her some space. If they just slowed down, took their time to become more comfortable with their new closeness, Mara might grow to love him. His spirits buoyed by this new thought, his dark mood vanished as his natural optimism filled him with new resolve.  
  
The Jedi finished, slung his packed bag over his shoulder and left his suite. There was a marked energy to his step that had been lacking just a moment before.  
  
Mara washed her face, changed her clothes, and emptied her suite. She stood in front of her ship. Mara punched in the entry code and the ramp lowered on the Jade's Fire. R2D2 greeted her at the entrance way. Mara was vaguely surprised and secretly amused that the little droid was there.  
  
"I hope you haven't been making modifications to my ship while I've been gone." She teased the astromech droid.  
  
Artoo made an indignant noise and Mara laughed despite herself.  
  
"Artoo's would never do that, would you?" Luke said as he stepped into the ship behind her. Mara swore silently. She had hoped to have a little more time to prepare herself before seeing him again.  
  
The droid was silent for a moment as if considering, then made a decisive noise. Neither of them were sure if that was an agreement or not.  
  
They regarded each other silently. Then Mara said reluctantly, "About what I said earlier. . . ."  
  
"It's okay, Mara. I understand." Luke said.  
  
"No, let me finish." Mara continued.  
  
Luke nodded.  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." She said.  
  
"I know." The Jedi replied. This comment made the tension ease out of her shoulders.  
  
"Come on. Let's get you settled." Mara led him to the back of the ship. The Jade's Fire had two cabins in the rear. Mara used the main cabin as her sleeping quarters. It had the only 'fresher on board. The other had a bunk, and was used as a storage compartment when she was the only person on ship. Luke stowed his bag next to the utilitarian bunk he had used on their previous journey.  
  
Mara watched in silence, her heart aching. The Jedi seemed remote. After their fight, he seemed to have retreated into his Jedi Master mode. She missed the more relaxed atmosphere of this morning. Mara returned to the cockpit of the ship and was surprised to see that they had received authorization for departure.  
  
"What the . . ." she said.  
  
Luke joined her in the cockpit and settled into the co-pilot's seat. "I put in a request for clearance."  
  
Mara smiled reluctantly at the Jedi. "You didn't use your Jedi Mind tricks on the duty officer, did you?"  
  
Luke flushed slightly and started to lay in their course, not meeting her eye.  
  
"Luke!"  
  
"Well, I thought it was better than a warrant for our arrest." He said, plaintively.  
  
Her green eyes twinkled and she said, "You're headed right towards the Dark side."  
  
"You think so?" There was genuine concern in his voice. A lock of dark blond hair had fallen across his forehead and was almost in his eyes.  
  
Without thinking, Mara reached forward and brushed it back. "I was just kidding, Skywalker." He grabbed her hand, holding it against his face. She felt suddenly exposed, vulnerable. Her adrenalin spiked and her breath became shallow.  
  
Her reaction was not lost on the Jedi and he started to lean towards her. She was sure that he intended to kiss her but for some reason he reared back and only smiled at her. "We had better get going."  
  
She pulled herself back to reality with great reluctance and said, "You're right." She closed the hatch and contacted Janus central control.  
  
Before she had even finished her request they interrupted with, "Planetary shield lowering, Jade's Fire, you are cleared for take off."  
  
She raised an eyebrow, shot a look at the Jedi.  
  
Skywalker just gave a small smile.  
  
"Thank you. Jade's Fire out." She cut the connection. "Handy thing, that mind trick."  
  
"I could teach it to you." Luke said hopefully.  
  
She was about to rebuff him, and then said, "I'll think about it."  
  
Luke smiled more broadly.  
  
The ship gracefully rose into the air and exited the atmosphere. The shield was quickly restored behind them, trapping them between the Coronet and the energy barrier. Mara skillfully worked the controls maneuvering around the rings, deftly avoiding the debris. Luke watched her with admiration. There were not many people he would trust to pilot them past a planetary ring. Soon, they were beyond the planet and the deadly rocks.  
  
R2D2 whistled in relief. Luke set the hyperspace coordinates and when the ready light illuminated, he threw the lever. The star lines elongated and disappeared. Despite the ease of their escape from the planet, Mara slumped in the pilot's chair. Luke ached to hold her again, instead, he watched her hungrily, unable to deny his desire for the red haired woman despite his resolve.  
  
His need flared through their force bond, catching the couple unaware. Mara gasped and swiveled in her chair to face Luke. The Jedi silently swore to himself, berating his lack of control. He closed his eyes and Mara suddenly understood the reason for his aloof behavior. Luke was giving her a choice, the liberty to walk away.  
  
She slid out of the chair and knelt beside him. Mara was aware of her fear of their growing attachment. She was never one to allow fear to rule her.  
  
She took his hand, his artificial right hand, and entreated, "Luke."  
  
He opened his eyes. When he saw the open expression in her eyes and experienced the raw emotion emanating through their bond, he grew weak. Moisture gathered in his eyes and he felt as if his heart would expand and burst his chest. He slid out of the chair to kneel with her on the deck.  
  
"Oh, Mara." He gathered her up in his arms and they held each other quietly for a long time. The sound of their even breathing and the faint beeps of the ship's computers filled the silence. Luke was afraid to move, for fear of breaking the moment. Mara remained still, not knowing what to say. She began to caress his back.  
  
Luke pulled back and held her face. He peered deeply into her eyes and said, "What we have is very special, Mara. I know that you can feel it too."  
  
"I'm no good for you, Luke." Mara whispered.  
  
Luke's hands dropped from her face and moved to hold her upper arms. "Is that what you really believe? Is that why you tried to push me away?"  
  
Mara nodded and began to stand. Luke held her still and said, "No, please don't."  
  
She relaxed again.  
  
"You're wrong. I can feel how right we are together, how we are meant for one another." Luke said passionately.  
  
In the presence of his certainty, Mara could feel her doubts drifting away. She closed her eyes and swayed toward the Jedi. Luke sat there, watching her, stretching out with the force. What he felt filled him with joy. A slow smile began to curve her lips and she felt a warmth blossom in her soul. She knew that she loved him, but could not say the words. She met his gaze again.  
  
"It's okay." Luke said, sensing her reticence. "You don't have to say a word. I've had to learn patience the hard way."  
  
She closed the space between them and began to kiss him. Luke's arms wrapped around her and he responded ardently. Warmth pooled in her very core. All thoughts fled her mind and she became sensation. The feel of him against her, his clean, familiar scent making her heady. Luke bent her back until they were lying on the deck between the two cockpit chairs. He drove his fingers through her thick tresses and groaned, deepening the kiss. Their tongues danced and their hips pressed intimately against each other.  
  
The kiss slowed and Luke gently pulled away. He sat up, gazing at her with desire naked in his eyes. They were panting and there was a fine sheen of moisture on his face. Mara lay back wondering if he was pausing to pull off his shirt and then realized that he had stopped. She sat up and ran a hand through her hair in a vain attempt to restore order.  
  
"What is it?" Mara asked.  
  
Luke smiled apologetically. "I want us to get closer, get to know each other better, and I desire you very much right now."  
  
"So what's wrong? I don't understand."  
  
Luke took a deep breath, exerting control over his body. "Whenever we touch, all other thoughts go out of my mind. All I can think of is how much I want you."  
  
Mara inspected him carefully and then she understood. "You're afraid I'm going to run away."  
  
"Are you?"  
  
Mara considered. She took a moment to phrase her answer, knowing that what she said could make or break their relationship. "My life would be empty without you. I've never felt like this with anyone before. No. I won't run." She paused, "What about you."  
  
"I'm not going anywhere." Luke took her hand. "You're my best friend. I care deeply for you. I want to be with you. I think we were meant to be together."  
  
His words both gladdened her heart and made her cringe. "Destiny again?"  
  
"It's something Yoda said." Luke replied almost reluctantly.  
  
Mara raised her head, "Yoda?"  
  
"When he came to us, he said the force is strong in us and in our children. He meant our children, Mara."  
  
Her eyes grew wide and she pulled her hand out of his grasp. She stood up and walked across the small cockpit. She turned to face him. Luke slowly rose to his feet wondering if he had said too much.  
  
"Are you sure? I thought he was speaking generally."  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
Mara nodded unwillingly. It had a sense of rightness to it. She felt as if her head were spinning.  
  
She stretched out with the force, but did not sense anything within her. She was not pregnant.  
  
He ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, Mara. I keep telling myself that I'm pushing. I'm moving too fast. And every time I tell myself to give you some room, I do it again."  
  
"Luke," Mara regarded him earnestly, "It's okay. Really. I don't guarantee that you'll always like my reactions, but I don't hold it against you."  
  
The lines of tension eased away from his face and he smiled. "Come on." He moved toward her took her hand. "Let's get something to eat."  
  
"I've never known a time when you weren't hunger, Skywalker." Mara said, good-humoredly.  
  
He waggled his eyebrows at her, "I have quite an appetite." His tone was teasingly suggestive.  
  
"Come on farmboy, Let's take care of at least one of your hungers." 


	8. Part Eight

Double Double Desire and Trouble  
  
By Rhea  
  
(Thanks again to Jayde Star)  
  
Part Eight  
  
They worked together to prepare food in the small kitchen unit. There was barely enough room in the small alcove for the both of them. Mara cooked a pair of nerf steaks while Luke cut vegetables with an agility that proved his cooking talent. They brushed against each other as they moved in and out of the small kitchenette to retrieve ingredients. More than once, Mara suspected that Luke pressed a little more closely than was necessary, but his expression was innocent.  
  
After one such close encounter, Mara smiled at the Jedi and asked, "Are you doing that on purpose?"  
  
Luke grabbed the salt and grinned. "Sorry."  
  
They sat down to eat. Mara used the force to shut off the bright alcove light, leaving them in the dim illumination of the blue glowing table.  
  
"Hurt my eyes." Mara explained absently.  
  
Luke nodded.  
  
They enjoyed the food in quiet companionship. Wiping her mouth with a napkin and setting down her utensil Mara said, "Well it was worth the wait."  
  
Luke replied, "I don't know what took us so long."  
  
Luke had his head turned down, but he looked through his lashes at her. He dropped his gaze again when Mara did not respond. She cleared her throat, but still she couldn't seem to verbalize her emotions. She did the next best thing, Mara reached across the table and took his hand. His fingers tightened around hers.  
  
He stood up, pulling his hand free and poured them some wine. He seemed suddenly preoccupied. Mara was about to ask him about it when he said, "I watched the Emperor die on the Death Star."  
  
Mara froze and stared at him.  
  
"You felt him die too." He continued.  
  
"Why are you thinking about him now?" Mara asked.  
  
Luke's thoughts consumed him. He remembered the Emperor's voice as he said, "Take your weapon, strike me down with all of your hatred." He recalled the Sith lord in the hooded cape and replying to Mara's inquiry about his identity with "I think the answer to both of those questions is pretty obvious."  
  
"The Sith Lord." Luke explained as he sat across from Mara again.  
  
She watched him for a moment and then said, "The Emperor has to be dead." Mara took his hand, the wine forgotten. "Whoever that Sith lord is, Luke, It's not the Emperor"  
  
Luke nodded, almost reluctantly. He exhaled heavily. "Would you join me in a Jedi memory enhancing session?"  
  
Mara nodded, seeing the sense in this, "You want to try to relive that incident in the caves together?"  
  
He nodded, "Anything that we learn might be useful."  
  
"Alright. How do we get started?"  
  
"Lets find some place comfortable." After a short tour of the ship they sat facing each other on the bed in the main cabin. The only illumination came from the dim outline of light a large window the length of the wall and the streaming star lines. The cabin was small and sparsely furnished with a dresser for her clothes, the comfortable bed, and a door off to one side that led to the 'fresher. Luke had seen her room in the past on his journeys to and from the 'fresher, but he had never realized how intimate the setting really was.  
  
Luke gazed at the beautiful woman seated across from him. Her fine features were visible in the low light and for a moment all he could do was gaze at her. He took a deep breath. "Just relax. I'm going to try to join our minds and we can examine both our experiences together."  
  
Luke placed his fingers on Mara's temples and closed his eyes.  
  
Mara watched his face become serious. She was a little nervous about her mind being so open, laid bare before Luke. His tentative probe encountered her emotions as well as her unconscious shield. His eyes opened and he smiled faintly, "Mara." He entreated slightly, "We're going to focus our attention on the events of that moment only. You have to trust me."  
  
Mara nodded, "I've had my barriers up for so long, I'm finding it hard to let go, to relax."  
  
Luke tilted his head to the side considering and then without warning he closed the space between them and began to kiss her. It was a slow, tender exploration. Mara closed her eyes, leaning into the kiss. Her heart quickened and warmth flooded her being. This was not a kiss of passion, but an expression of deep caring. As she returned the kiss, she felt the light probe of his mind and her barriers melted away.  
  
Luke found the memory he was seeking and pulled away from her mouth. They remained touching forehead to forehead, their eyes closed, their hands entwined. They started with Luke's memories. Mara entered the cave with Luke. The dark side seeped into every one of their senses. It was as if they could hear the roar of the dead Sith lord, smell the decay of his long vanished body, feel the coldness of his trapped spirit, and taste the bitterness of his betrayal. They listened to Luke gasp when he saw the lightsaber lying in the red dust. As Mara handed the weapon to him, Luke could feel the former owner's lust for revenge. Using the force to uncover the truth, they learned even more. He was the Sith lord's former master, betrayed by his apprentice by promises of power and knowledge of the long dead Jedi knights.  
  
The actual betrayal did not surprise him, it was no more than he expected. What shocked him was that he had not sensed the attack or even the intent to betray him.  
  
The memories moved on. Luke dropped the weapon and moved over to Mara when the computer voice said, "Confirm authorization." Mara relived Luke's memory of his force inspired revelation and when he joined his blood to hers she felt as if the moment had great significance. Luke agreed and for a moment their spirits swayed together in a slow dance of mutual regard.  
  
Then, the Sith lord's voice interrupted their reverie. Luke peered deeply into the shadow and was shocked to find nothing there. The face was blank. Either his memory was nonexistent or the lord's face was completely featureless. They quickly scanned the rest of the events, avoiding the fight with the beasts that had wounded the Jedi, not wanting to re- experience the pain of that encounter.  
  
They cleared their minds of the images, and then went back to the beginning again, this time from Mara's point of view. The dark side stain had immediately reminded her of the region in space above the moon of Endor. Although, she had not been conscious of this thought at the time. She inspected the surroundings and with their heightened perception realized that the glittering dome over their head did not just appear to be a star map, it was a star map.  
  
And like before, the sound of Luke's gasp seemed unusually loud. Mara quickly joined him. While he was inspect the ancient weapon, Mara inspect the clothing, and pocketed the oddly shaped item.  
  
"Do you still have that?" Luke asked, noticing this event for the first time.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"How come you never mentioned it?"  
  
"You mean during our jump from the collapsing mound, or when I thought you were dead, or maybe later when you were in a healing trance or when we were chasing your imposter. Or I guess it might have made for enticing pillow talk while we were making love?" Mara said sardonically.  
  
Luke laughed reluctantly. "OK. Point taken."  
  
They moved forward into the scene, vaguely noting the lord's emotional signature when he saw Mara.  
  
"He's attracted to you." Luke said incredulously.  
  
"You don't have to act so surprised." Mara groused. She was disturbed by this revelation as well.  
  
Mara could feel his chagrin and Mara instantly said, "Relax Skywalker, I'm just teasing. I guess we know for sure that falling to the dark side doesn't burn out all desires."  
  
"Yeah. That's what scares me." Luke replied.  
  
They tried to examine the object that their adversary had taken, but they still could not learn more about it.  
  
The creature sliced across the Jedi's chest with a swipe of its claw. Luke was surprised at the depth of Mara's distress when she felt his pain and she admonished him mildly. "I've always had a soft spot for you, farm boy."  
  
He was impressed with the agility of her mind as she decided on an escape plan. Her thought processes were clear and practical. When Luke started to climb the rope, they pulled away from the memories, slowly withdrawing from the encounter.  
  
Their breathing was deep and even. They were tired, but alert. They stayed with their foreheads pressed together and fingers interwoven for a long moment. Mara felt vaguely lonely now that their minds were no longer connected on such a deep level, and she was surprised by this realization. Their emotions still flowed freely through a link in the force and Luke pulled her full length against him in a hug.  
  
Despite the depths of his emotions and his usual candor, Luke felt reluctant to verbalize how he felt. He had loved and lost too many times Now, when the last remaining spark of hope burned and began to flame again, he knew that if Mara left him, he'd never recover. If he said the words out loud, he would give them added weight, ensuring his breakdown if she were to leave. It was too late, he knew. He was already lost.  
  
They lay cradled in each other arms, unspeaking allowing their force sense to commune on a deeper level they did not truly comprehend.  
  
There was a tickling sensation on her ear that edged Mara out of sleep. She opened her eyes reluctantly and it did not take her long to discover the source. The Jedi's face was inches from her own, eyes closed and mouth relaxed. A strand of her hair was moving ever so slightly across the tip of her ear with each breath Skywalker took. He was still deeply asleep. She tucked the errant curl behind her ear and inspected the sleeping man. He looked years younger, his skin was smooth unlined by the cares of the galaxy. They had slept for hours in the same bed, but had not made love since that one passionate night. She leaned forward to kiss his cheek and stopped when she saw Luke's eyelids flutter. She did not want to wake him and she felt an unaccustomed shyness around the Jedi. It was almost as if their physical intimacy had just been an extremely vivid and beautiful dream. Perhaps that was the real reason for her reticence, the unreality of their relationship. One day she was hoping for more but never really expecting it to happen. The next day she was waking up in his embrace. She knew Skywalker was not the type to engage in a sexual relationship lightly, but he had called her his best friend, not the love of his life, or even a lover. She had sensed something deeper, but without confirmation she could not be sure.  
  
She slowly eased out of bed. The Jedi stirred, but he did not wake up. She hurried to the 'fresher before the Jedi woke up. Mara's pride would not allow her to ask Skywalker about his feelings toward her, and she did not want to feel like she seduced him, trapping him in the way that she had always believed Callista had ensnared him. Skywalker had a streak of honor that was as wide as the maw. If he believed that he had unwittingly made a commitment with her, he would stick to it whether he wished to or not. The last thing Mara wanted was Luke Skywalker feeling obliged to her. She would rather never see the man again, than have that happen. That voice in the back of her head whispered mockingly to her again. Even her own subconscious knew that she was seeking a reason to avoid her emotions. Years in the Emperor's service had taught her the value of not caring for anyone. She didn't know if she could ever free her heart.  
  
Mara sat in the captain's chair absentmindedly flipping the flat metal disk between her fingers. She sensed the moment Luke awoke. She studied their vector and saw that everything was in order. It was not too long before Luke joined her in the cockpit. His hair was wet from the 'fresher and his eyes were alert.  
  
"Good morning." He said almost shyly.  
  
Mara's heart swelled at the sight of him, and she smiled warmly at him. He seemed momentarily taken aback by her joy. He bent down and kissed her lightly, before sitting next to her in the co-pilot's seat. She handed him the disk, and he inspected it closely.  
  
"Is this it?'' he could feel the importance of the item, the weight of it was more than physical. Luke turned the small oddly shaped metallic disk over, inspecting it closely. It had a series of finely etched lines across the surface on one side, the other side was smooth as glass.  
  
"Any idea what this is?" he asked.  
  
"Not really. I did some preliminary analysis with the ship's computers after we left Androden, but I had no luck. It looks familiar, but I can't place it."  
  
He tried to probe the object with the force, but still could discover nothing. Luke handed it back and helped Mara to perform a routine systems check. He enjoyed these times with her, the moments of relative calm, doing simple tasks together. They spent the rest of the trip sharing meals in the galley, playing holochess, exchanging stories of their past, and by unspoken mutual consent sleeping in the main cabin together. Although, they touched lovingly, they did not make love. Both enjoyed their deepening level of intimacy not dependent on passion. They touched each other often with casual ease, growing more familiar with the other's presence. Neither could deny how right they felt together. The trip seemed suddenly too short, when they arrived in space above Coruscant.  
  
The Jade's Fire landed on an exterior elevated landing bay on the planet. Mara saw the Solo clan waiting for them on the landing platform through the view port of the Jade's Fire. She was surprised to sense them, but then realized it was due to her bond with Luke growing ever stronger in the force. These were his family, of course he would have a link to them. Mara busied herself with the process of powering the ship down.  
  
She sat in the pilot's seat, avoiding the Jedi's eyes, "Go ahead, I'll join you in a minute." She urged him.  
  
Luke watched her carefully. "I can wait for you."  
  
"They're your family. They want to see you, Luke."  
  
Luke sat back down in the co-pilot's seat and faced her. "They care about you too. You're a part of my life now. I want them to see that."  
  
"You think a docking bay is the place to tell them?"  
  
Luke grimaced and then shook his head, "We don't have to tell them anything, but I don't want to hide our relationship either."  
  
Mara met his gaze, conscious of the Solo family watching them through the view port.  
  
"Ok, Let's do this."  
  
Luke smiled and said, "It's going to be alright, Mara. They love you already and I . .. ." his voice trailed off and he stood up abruptly, "Come on."  
  
Mara's emotions churned nervously. Luke sensed them and said reassuringly, "We don't have to spend time with them if it makes you uncomfortable." His misinterpretation of her emotional state was a relief. The Solo clan did not really bother her. What made her edgy was the way Skywalker could not finish the his sentence. Had he been about to make a declaration of love? Or had he prevented himself from saying something he did not mean?  
  
"No. Of course we'll visit with them. Leia's your twin sister, you must spend time with them."  
  
"Thanks, Mara." Luke said and they made their way toward the exit.  
  
Mara lowered the ramp and hesitated. The Jedi glanced at the red haired woman and gave an almost imperceptible nod. Luke took the lead, grabbing his sister and swinging her in an exuberant hug. Not to be left out, Chewbacca grabbed Luke from behind. The blond man laughed and turned to greet the Wookie more properly. Once free of the furry embrace, Han and Luke exchanged a brotherly hug, each clapping the other's back.  
  
Mara watched this exchange, unwillingly envious of their affection.  
  
Han whispered quietly in Luke's ear. "So how's it going between you and Mara?"  
  
Luke's eyes twinkled and he replied, "Ask me again later."  
  
Leia approached Mara and tentatively extended her arms in an invitation. Mara awkwardly moved forward and hugged the woman.  
  
"Mara."  
  
"Leia."  
  
When they broke apart they shared a genuine smile. Mara was no longer quite as uncomfortable.  
  
R2D2 rolled out of the ship and C3P0 rushed forward, "It's so good to see you Artoo. You don't know how lonely I've been without you."  
  
Artoo warbled in reply and the two droids wandered off chatting amiably.  
  
Luke walked back toward Mara. He asked the Solos, "Who do you have guarding the site?"  
  
Han replied, "You have nothing to worry about, kid. We have half a dozen noghri there. No one's getting past them." Then he urged, "Come on, let's get out of here. Leia thought you might be hungry and had dinner prepared back at the apartment."  
  
Mara snorted and said, "Skywalker? Hungry?"  
  
Leia smiled.  
  
Luke replied, "Hey, I'm not that bad." Mara could feel his happiness at being reunited with his family.  
  
Leia laughed and asked Mara, "So did he deplete the Fire's supplies?"  
  
"I think there are still a couple of Hutt swamp frogs. Oh wait, I forgot, those are gone too."  
  
"Mara." Luke entreated, his humor radiating through their bond. Chewbacca chuckled and Han and Leia had broad smiles stretching across their faces.  
  
"Eat a lot of those do you, Jade?" Han teased.  
  
Mara replied airily, "It's always best to be prepared. I never know when I'll have to entertain a Hutt or some other scoundrel."  
  
Leia and Han shared a look, as if remembering a private joke.  
  
They made their way to a air taxi where R2D2 and C3P0 were already seated in the rear. Han opened the door for Leia and made a gallant bow for her to proceed, "After you, your highnessness."  
  
She smiled and made a regal motion with her hand as if dismissing him. He cocked a sideways smile at her.  
  
Chewbacca pushed passed Han to sit in the pilot's seat.  
  
"Hey!" the Corellian let go of the door and dashed toward the front. Mara and Luke exchanged a look, chuckling softly and made their way toward the back. They sat on a bench beside each other. Han and Chewbacca argued over who would pilot the air taxi.  
  
"Fine!" Han threw his hands in the air, dismissing the wookie, "Have it your way. But don't let it get to your head. I'm still the pilot of the Falcon, fuzzball."  
  
Chewbacca was silent as if considering and then growled his ascent.  
  
Han sat next to Leia on the bench in front of Luke and Mara. He leaned back toward then and winked conspiratorially. "Chewy's getting antsy lately. I thought it would be good to let him pilot for awhile."  
  
Leia smiled ruefully at her husband, "You let him?" she said dubiously.  
  
"Of course, sweetheart."  
  
The air taxi started to move. It was late afternoon, the sun glowing low in the sky. They glided into the maze of Coruscant's air traffic. Mara was conscious of Luke pressed against her side. Her hands rested lightly on her pant legs. The swiftly moving air taxi caused the air to caress their faces in a warm breeze.  
  
Luke casually took Mara's hand in his grasp. The green eyed woman was touched by this simple gesture of affection. She was also supremely aware of the fact that they were not alone. Her gaze traveled from their joined hands to the Jedi's face. Luke was watching the many lights of passing vehicles, listening to the roar of numerous alien engines as they quickly maneuvered their way along the skylines of Coruscant.  
  
Mara wondered if he was even aware that he had taken her hand. Luke turned and flashed her a brilliant smile that momentarily dazzled her. She could not help but return the grin.  
  
Leia glanced back, witnessing the exchange. Han had already told her of the embrace he had stumbled onto back on Janus, but she was somewhat startled by the evident regard they shared. Luke shot Leia a quick smile, and Mara turned her head away to view the passing traffic. Leia turned around, feeling as if she would be rude if she continued to watch the couple.  
  
Their relationship was too new for her to be entirely comfortable with public displays of affection, but she could not deny the pleasure that she felt while Luke held her hand. She watched their careful approach to their destination. She tightened her grip on his hand, unconsciously seeking his support. Mara felt an unobtrusive mental caress from the Jedi, which touched her deeply.  
  
Their hands were still entwined when they exited the vehicle. If the Solo clan noticed, they made no indication. C3P0 and R2D2 filled the silence as they strolled from the platform across the long walkway, navigating the complex exterior passageways of the more affluent sector of the planet.  
  
When they arrived at the Solo's residence, Han punched in the entry code. Luke and Mara by silent consent released hands. A noghri slid out of the shadows, almost undetectable until he spoke, "Welcome home, my lady Vader." He rasped and backed away disappearing from sight.  
  
They entered the house. "Make yourselves comfortable. I'm going to check on dinner." Leia said as she exited the main room.  
  
Mara moved to the enormous window that over looked the skyline. The numerous buildings and moving ships were ablaze with the red-orange light of the setting sun. The view was breath taking.  
  
"I would like to accompany Artoo to maintenance. He appears to have sustained some minor damage." C3P0 said primly.  
  
"Be my guest." Han said.  
  
"We'll catch up with you later, Threepo, Artoo." Luke said warmly.  
  
The two droids left the apartment. Chewbacca had gone into the kitchen. When Han saw he was alone with Luke and Mara, a devilish look crossed his features. "So, uh, How was the trip from Janus?"  
  
Mara glanced away from the cityscape, to regard the former smuggler. Skywalker smiled and said, "It was fine. The Jade's Fire is a good ship."  
  
Mara smiled to herself when she was how expertly the Jedi had deflect the man's interest from their personal relationship to something dear to his heart, space vehicles.  
  
"It's not bad." Han said, his voice indicating his respect for Mara's ship. "I wouldn't mind taking a look at her modifications."  
  
Luke raised his eyebrow questioningly at Mara and she replied, "Sure. As long as you don't report what you see to Central Security."  
  
A large smile spread across his face, "Honey, I'm the epitome of discretion."  
  
"Han?" Leia called from the other room. "Can you give me a hand with this?"  
  
"Duty calls." The Corellian shrugged and then left the room.  
  
Mara turned back to the window, not wanting to sit and wait.  
  
Luke joined her. "Beautiful isn't it." He comments. His voice was low, and his presence washed over her making her feel warm all over.  
  
Mara smiled.  
  
"How are you doing?" he asked.  
  
She knew he was referring to being in the Solo household. "I think I can handle it, Skywalker." She said sardonically.  
  
He gave her a quick kiss and Mara jumped back when the door opened again.  
  
Leia and Han returned with steaming plates of food. Chewbacca sniffed one large dish appreciatively.  
  
Luke asked, "Where are the kids?"  
  
"Winter took them to see the annual airspeeder races." Leia answered.  
  
They sat at a large oval table in the center of the main room. Leia and Han sat on one side facing Luke and Mara on the other. Chewbacca sat at the one end eating the meat from a thigh bone of some animal quietly.  
  
As they ate, talk centered around the Sith lord and their own plans to investigate the coordinates that Ghent had decrypted. Leia's eyes darted between Mara to Luke watching them carefully. Han noticed and unsuccessfully hid his humor from the force sensitives in the room. Leia glared at her husband and quickly squelched it when she noticed Mara's gaze. She gave Mara a slight smile, slightly abashed. Mara glanced at Han and he gave her a wink. Chewbacca barked a laugh and returned his attention to his food. Mara smiled and returned her attention to the elaborate dish placed before her.  
  
Luke was the only one that seemed completely at ease during this gathering. His joy colored everybody's mood, lightening the overall atmosphere. If he noticed Leia's looks, he chose to ignore them.  
  
His hand lingered overlong as he passed Mara the salt, and the twinkle in his eye as he met her gaze alerted her to the fact that he was entirely aware of Leia's inspection. Mara felt like smiling and kicking him at the same time. She settled for sending him a mental *Skywalker!* and all he did was grin.  
  
After dessert, they made plans to leave for the coordinates. Mara told them that she wanted to stop at her place before they left. Han, Chewbacca, and Leia made arrangements to rendezvous with them in two hours.  
  
Luke left with Mara and seemed reluctant to let her out of his sight. It was a short journey to her apartment and Mara entered her security code, making a show of sharing it with Skywalker. He nodded, memorizing it. They entered the room, lights slowly glowing at their arrival. Luke sat on a couch while Mara gathered some supplies. She grabbed a couple of extra power packs for her blaster and set them by the door.  
  
She went back to her room to get a few more items and when she emerged she studied the back of Luke's head. He was seated, facing away from her. "There's something we need to do before we leave." He turned his head to watch her. Mara slowly approached him. Just as he was about to ask her what she meant, she bent down and bit his ear, running her hands down his chest.  
  
His breath caught in his throat. Luke narrowed his eyes and said, "There is, is there?"  
  
"I'm tired of this impasse between us" she said between kisses. She moved her lips down his neck, gently nipping and licking in a pattern that made it difficult for him to hear her words beyond his own thundering heart.  
  
"And another thing, this whole shape shifter business bothers me." She said.  
  
"What do you mean?" Luke whispered between short breaths.  
  
Mara pulled back for a moment to speak seriously, "I assume he was hired to get information for the dark lord. It was not uncommon for Vader or the Emperor to use spies or bounty hunters to do their dirty work."  
  
His eyes were a brilliant blue as he met her gaze. Luke's mouth twisted, "Like Boba Fett."  
  
"Handy skill for a spy to have -- shape shifting." Mara said. Luke could feel her embarrassment at having been deceived by the Imposter.  
  
"The bond between us has grown strong. I don't think we can be fooled again." Luke assured her.  
  
Mara smiled broadly. "I knew you had a practical reason for making love to me." She teased.  
  
Luke's eyelids became heavy and he said with utter sincerity, "I would use any excuse to make love to you, Mara Jade."  
  
All teasing left her in a rush. She was startled by his candor. A slow seductive smile stretched her lips. "Well." She said playfully, "I'm still not sure if I can be deceived by the Imposter again, so it might be smart if we continue to familiarize ourselves with each other."  
  
"Ah, just being practical are we Jade?"  
  
He turned around to face her, their noses brushing gently. He pulled her over the couch and into his lap.  
  
"You got it, Skywalker."  
  
"Luke" he corrected her.  
  
"Oh no, you haven't earned that yet." She said playfully.  
  
He chuckled and bit her lower lip, he drew it into his mouth and sucked gently, soothing the minor ache.  
  
Desire shot like a blaster bolt through her.  
  
"We'll be late." He warned.  
  
"We have time and we can be fast."  
  
He was in no shape to argue. She stripped her clothes away before he could even register what she was doing. She began tugging on his tunic and he shifted to help. He started to lift her, intending to move them to her room when she stopped him, "No. Let's stay here."  
  
He smiled, pleased by her eagerness. He began to ravish her mouth, their hands exploring the length of their bodies fervently. Luke had made plans to seduce her slowly, take her out to dinner, talk long into the night, and then kiss her gently to see where it would lead. Instead, Mara had seduced him with a touch and he was making passionate love with her on the couch.  
  
Luke Skywalker had learned long ago, that things never happened the way he planned. Even thought the universe seemed to always conspire against him, he didn't care. At this moment, he could not be happier. 


	9. Part Nine

Double Double Desire and Trouble  
  
By Rhea  
  
Part Nine  
  
The comlink beeped.  
  
Luke was in the 'fresher and Mara tugged on her tunic and combed her hair with her fingers. Just before she activated the monitor she saw Skywalker's shirt lying across the back of the couch. She grabbed it and threw it though the open bedroom door. Composing herself, she hit the switch.  
  
"Mara!" Talon Karrde said exuberantly.  
  
"Hello, Karrde. I was just about to call you." she lied.  
  
Talon waved his hand and said, "Don't worry. How were you and Skywalker on the trip back? Did either of you fall to the Dark Side?"  
  
Mara laughed and said, "Things have been worse."  
  
Just then a bare chested Luke walked in saying, "Mara have you seen my shirt?" He was drying his hair in a towel. He was unaware that she was communicating with Karrde and oblivious to the fact that Talon could see him behind Mara on the monitor. Mara felt her face flush and she tried to block Karrde's view with her body. She used the force to tangle the garment around the Jedi's feet and he fell with a muffled "oomph!"  
  
"Was that Skywalker?" Talon asked, his eyebrow raising.  
  
Mara silently cursed. Luke took in the situation, hearing Talon's words. Out of the line of sight from the monitor he raised his head to look beyond the towel, realizing what was happening.  
  
"Yeah. He thought we should do some Jedi exercises." Mara said sardonically.  
  
Luke chuckled from the ground and slipped on his shirt.  
  
Talon looked dubiously at Mara and said, "Couldn't you find the time for that on the long flight back?"  
  
A look of dawning comprehension came across his face. From his expression, Mara could see that the smuggler was beginning to suspect that something was going on.  
  
"You know Skywalker. All work and no play." Mara quipped, lightly.  
  
Talon shook his head, not quite accepting her words. He changed the subject. "I just wanted to congratulate you on your success at Janus."  
  
Mara was slightly taken aback. "What do you mean? I walked out on the negotiations."  
  
Talon Karrde smiled ironically, "It was obviously the right thing to do. They agreed to our terms. They must have respected your refusal to give into their demands."  
  
"I should have walked out weeks ago." Mara said ruefully.  
  
Luke rose to his feet and approached the monitor. "Hi Talon." Luke was the image of the ideal Jedi Master, cool and in control. Not a hair was out of place, his shirt lay smoothly across his chest. In the face of his demeanor, Talon seemed to doubt his original assessment. Mara could usually sham her way through situations, but she knew that her disheveled appearance detracted from her presentation as the collected trader.  
  
"Luke." Karrde replied. Talon glanced from Luke to Mara.  
  
Mara wished the Luke had remained hidden but realized that to do so would only inflame Karrde's curiosity.  
  
"I see you've been keeping my second in command busy." A sly smile slipped free before he too composed his features.  
  
Mara flushed and turned her head.  
  
Luke smiled and said coolly, "Thanks for those coordinates. We're planning on checking them out tonight."  
  
"Do you need any backup?'"  
  
"I didn't think you were on Coruscant." Luke said.  
  
"Not yet, but the Wilde Karrde is about a day away."  
  
"We should be fine, but I'll keep you posted," Mara replied.  
  
"Very good." A smile edged the ends of his mouth. "Try not to kill Skywalker." He mildly admonished Mara.  
  
Mara shot Luke a look full of meaning. "It might be a struggle, but I think I'll manage."  
  
"I'll com you when I arrive. If you need anything be sure to let me know."  
  
"Thanks Talon, I really appreciate it." Mara said sincerely.  
  
He nodded, smiled, and cut the connection. When the monitor was dark, Mara turned to regard the Jedi. He raised an eyebrow at her. She opened her mouth to rant at him, berating him for walking in plain sight unclothed. Her mouth closed, a smile she could not suppress tugging the edges of her mouth.  
  
"Do you think we fooled him?"  
  
"Nope." Luke said, amusement evident in his voice.  
  
"You're enjoying this aren't you?" Mara accused.  
  
Luke tilted his head to the side considering. Then he straightened, "Yep!" He picked her up, gave her a hard kiss before setting her back on her feet. Mara swatted at his chest without any force. She left the room muttering and shaking her head, secretly amused.  
  
Luke had once again donned the Jedi black outfit. Mara wondered if it was the very same clothes she had seen him wear when he had entered Jabba's palace all those years ago. Probably, she smiled wryly to herself. He didn't give up on anything easily, including an outfit. He sure took devotion to another level. He didn't look much different, a little older, but he still had that intensity about him that seemed to eclipse everyone else.  
  
Mara returned shortly dressed in a black leather outfit. It clung to her figure, leaving her arms bare. Her lightsaber hung on her utility belt. Her red gold locks were twisted in a simple braid that hung over her right shoulder.  
  
Luke felt his cool composure warm at the sight of her and eyed her appreciatively. "How did you get dressed so fast?"  
  
Feeling the heat of his gaze, Mara smiled wickedly. "Maybe I'll show you later. Come on Master. Let's go."  
  
Luke followed, shaking his head and silently laughing.  
  
Luke rented a two person air speeder and Mara did not say a word when he took the helm. He flew with a speed that was both breathtaking and exhilarating. Mara had always know Luke was an excellent pilot, but she never really realized how alive he became when he was flying. She enjoyed seeing him so happy and free, and she shared this with him. Luke dazzled her with a smile and it was with brilliant grins on both their faces that they landed on the lowest habitable level of the city.  
  
The gleaming ship stood out in the dark grime of the level, where sunlight never penetrated. They cautiously exited the vehicle and were joined shortly by the Solos and the Wookie. They could see a similar vehicle parked behind a pile of rubbish. Leia was dressed in a practical off white jumpsuit with numerous pockets. A heavy utility belt seemed like it weighed the petite woman down, but she moved with ease. Han wore his Corellian blood stripe pants and his customary brown vest. Chewbacca held his bowcaster at the ready.  
  
"Nice place." Leia said dryly.  
  
"Only the best for you, sweetheart." Han said.  
  
"Any trouble?" Luke asked reaching out with the force. Danger seemed to surround them, but was not directed at them.  
  
The walls seemed to leak engine oil and ancient refuse littered the narrow alleyways and hung precariously from narrow walkways crisscrossing the sky overhead. Vermin scurried across the ground, but there were no sight of sentient life.  
  
"Nah, you kidding? Nothing a few well placed blaster bolts couldn't handle, but I'd secure your ship and don't count on recovering your deposit." Han warned.  
  
Chewbacca said something and Han added, "I was just about to tell them, fuzzball. Chewy suggests that you remove the main motivator switch."  
  
Mara showed something in her hand. "Or the drive stabilizer works just as well." Han laughed.  
  
Luke smiled as Mara pocketed the small object. "Standard procedure." She muttered.  
  
They picked their way cautiously through the refuse hearing the low buzz of neon lights and alien voices. When they rounded a corner they discovered a disreputable tapcafe. The placard read in both Bocci and Basic, "Final Resting Place."  
  
"Oh, I feel so much better now." Leia commented.  
  
"Don't tell me the coordinates are in there." Mara said.  
  
"Fine. I won't tell you." Luke replied dryly.  
  
"If we all go in together, we'll look like we're a part of the Freedom Day Parade." Mara said.  
  
Luke nodded and said, "I'll go in first."  
  
"Oh no, your not going in there alone. I distinctly wrote on my agenda for today, 'No pulling Skywalker's butt from the fire'." Mara commented.  
  
Chewbacca chuckled.  
  
"We'll all go together." Han insisted.  
  
Chewbacca growled agreement while Mara said, "Okay, but not all at once."  
  
"Agreed." Luke said.  
  
"Han and I will go first. Mara and Leia wait ten minutes before you join us. And where are the noghri?" Luke asked.  
  
Leia looked around concerned, she said, "Maybe they're inside?"  
  
"I hope so." Luke said. "Chewbacca, you do a sweep of the area, see if you can find any sign of the noghri."  
  
After they all agreed, Han gave Leia a quick kiss, saluted Mara and Chewbacca jauntily and turned to go inside. Luke shot Mara a long look, then turned to follow Han. Once they were gone, Chewbacca growled at Leia reluctant to leave her.  
  
"We'll be fine, Chewy, go on." Leia encouraged.  
  
The Wookie left grudgingly.  
  
Mara and Leia regarded each other and Mara said "Let's move away from the entrance. I feel like a Camino jellyfish on the sands of Tatooine."  
  
They walked away from the doorway and into a small alley. Mara busied herself with checking her power pack, knowing full well that it was completely charged. Leia watched her, sensing the woman's discomfort in her presence.  
  
"I won't bite, you know." She soothed.  
  
Mara shot her a scornful look and said, "You don't actually think I'm afraid of you?"  
  
Leia shook her head. "No, but you're uncomfortable being with me. Han told me about you and Luke."  
  
"Is this the part where you tell me to stay away from your brother?" Mara asked.  
  
Genuine shock radiated from Leia. "No this is where I ask you how you really feel. I'm not blind. I can see that there is something between you two. Luke positively glows in the force whenever he's near you."  
  
Mara considered her words, touched by them and by her admission. "Luke always glows." Mara said softly.  
  
"You're in love with him, aren't you." Leia said. Her words were so low, her demeanor so inviting that Mara almost confessed to her.  
  
"I can see how you've succeeded as a diplomat." Mara commented.  
  
"I just want to be friends. I love him too, Mara."  
  
"I know. You mean the world to him."  
  
Leia's mouth tipped upward in a sardonic smile, "Yes. But I believe you mean even more. I'm not jealous, if that's what you're thinking. I just don't want to see my brother get hurt again. I don't think he could survive another heartbreak."  
  
Mara's respect for Leia went up a notch and she smiled the first true smile at this beautiful, brown eyed woman.  
  
Leia returned the smile. The warmth flowed between them through the force. "My brother is an amazing man. He's strong and loving, but he's thick headed like most males." Leia said, "Tell him. I guarantee you won't regret it."  
  
Mara considered her advice, "I'll think about it."  
  
The comlink chirped. Mara swore, realizing that they were late.  
  
Leia answered it, "We're coming."  
  
"What's the hold up? Do you want us to come out?" Han's voice was concerned.  
  
"No. We were just having so much fun we lost track of time." Leia said sarcastically to her husband, rolling her eyes at Mara.  
  
Mara smirked.  
  
"Well, why don't you come in here and share some of the fun." Han said.  
  
"We're on our way." Mara said into the comlink.  
  
The minute Han and Luke stepped into the tapcafe, the place grew silent. The majority of the patrons were seated in a large group off to one side. There was a disreputable looking human behind the grimy bar. The air was dank with moisture and smoke. Music emitted from some speakers, there was no live band in sight. Luke's hand hovered over the hilt of his lightsaber still attached to his belt. He stretched out with the force, but did not sense immediate danger. Han swaggered into the darkness and claimed a small booth off in one corner. Luke joined him, sliding across the cracked leather seats.  
  
A black metallic server droid rolled up to the table and said, "What's your order?"  
  
"Nothing right now." Luke replied.  
  
"If you don't order, you have to leave." The droid said.  
  
"What my friend here meant to say is that we'll both have the house draft." Han said, leaning back into the worn cushions.  
  
The droid left without another word.  
  
"Polite server droid." Luke said sarcastically.  
  
"Yeah, well, I don't think the locals notice." Han replied, indicating the group on the opposite side of the room. They were eyeing them with malevolent interest. Luke sat ramrod straight in the chair opposite Han. "Relax, kid. Blend in a little. You look like an easy mark."  
  
Luke immediately slumped into the seat and Han suppressed a smirk. Luke still looked out of place, and now he appeared vulnerable. Luke smiled sheepishly up at Han and said, "No good, huh?"  
  
"Don't worry, Luke. I don't think this crowd is use to strangers anyway."  
  
Luke glanced around the room, noting the layout. There was an opening toward the back, probably a storeroom. There were numerous unoccupied tables scattered around the room, and a broken down turbolift door off to one side. It had probably been out of service since the clone wars.  
  
"So you told me to ask you again later, so I'm asking. What's with you and Mara?"  
  
"Hmmm?" Luke asked, pretending to be too distracted to answer him. His mind was racing trying to think of what to tell his brother-in-law.  
  
"Come on, kid. I saw that kiss. That wasn't two friends exchanging a friendly peck on the cheek."  
  
Luke blushed and kept his head turned away. He regained his composure quickly and turned to meet Han's gaze. "I don't really know."  
  
Han waited patiently for the Jedi to continue.  
  
"She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. We seem to be connected somehow, through the force. I've never wanted anyone more in my life." Luke blushed again at this last comment, embarrassed that he had revealed so much. Han always made him feel young again. He was never the Jedi Master with him. He wondered if he would ever feel like more that a moisture farmer with this seasoned ex-smuggler.  
  
"Passion's good. Does she feel it too?" Han knew the answer to this, but he wanted to make sure and besides, he enjoyed seeing the kid squirm.  
  
"Yeah." Luke said dreamily.  
  
Han cleared his throat and said, "I know Mara Jade, or at least I know her type. Now, don't get all defensive on me and let me finish." Han said the moment he saw the Jedi sit up straight, his eyes becoming ice blue chips.  
  
"What I mean is, that women like Mara feel deeply but never like to let it show. If you've managed to go to bed with her and you're still breathing, I would bet that you're pretty special to her." Han said earnestly.  
  
His sincerity immediately put Luke at ease and he smiled at the man, "She's a pretty special woman." Luke agreed.  
  
"So. . .uh. . . . Did you . . .uh . . . Oh hell, you know what I mean." Han asked the blond man.  
  
Luke smiled secretively and said, "Hey isn't it about time that Leia and Mara join us?"  
  
Han glanced at his wristchrono and swore, "They should have been in here five minutes ago." He activated the comlink and said, "What's the hold up? Do you want us to come out?" Han's voice was concerned.  
  
"No. We were just having so much fun we lost track of time." Leia replied sarcastically. Han shot a questioningly look at Luke and he shrugged hiding a smile behind the back of his hand.  
  
"Well, why don't you come in here and share some of the fun." Han said.  
  
"We're on our way." Mara said.  
  
"Wonder what they were up to. I sure hope it was safe to leave them together." Han said.  
  
"Mara would never harm Leia." Luke said with a slightly injured tone.  
  
"I mean, Mara might not survive Leia when she's determined to get to the bottom of something."  
  
Luke laughed, "I knew you two had a lot in common."  
  
Han had the grace to stay quiet. When the two women entered the tapcafe door, the room descended into quiet again. The women made there way to another booth next to Luke and Han's. Mara made a show of flirting with the two men and Leia caught on and smiled invitingly to Han. Han leered suggestively at her and motioned for them to sit with them in their booth.  
  
"Subtle." Luke said to Mara.  
  
"You had a better plan?" Mara asked archly.  
  
"Hey, I thought it was pretty effective." Han said.  
  
Leia pretended to caress him, and elbowed him in the ribs.  
  
"Ow!" He suppressed his outrage quickly when he saw that they had an audience.  
  
"So this is the famous Jedi Vault." Mara said jokingly, eyeing the place speculatively.  
  
Luke snorted and Leia said with mock seriousness, "It doesn't seem worthy enough to come back from the dead for."  
  
"Oh. I don't know. Maybe that bartender is an ex-Jedi Master or something." Han said.  
  
Luke stood up and approached the man.  
  
Mara whispered fiercely, "Way to go, Solo."  
  
"I was just kidding. Can't anyone take a joke around here?" Han asked.  
  
After a brief conversation with the bartender Luke returned to the booth. Just as he slid beside Mara and put his arm around her flamboyantly, the serving droid arrived with their drinks.  
  
"We'll have the same." Mara muttered to the droid.  
  
It disappeared without a word. Han picked up his drink and after sniffing it, left it untouched on the table.  
  
"Aren't you going to tell us what happened?" Mara asked the Jedi.  
  
Luke shook his head when a group of five aliens rose from the corner and approached their booth. The music stopped.  
  
"I don't like the look of this." Han commented.  
  
Three out of the five of the group were some reptilian race Luke did not recognize. Their faces reminded him of scaled down Dewbacks. The fourth was a Hammerhead and the fifth, an oversized human with red cybernetic eyes.  
  
The man spoke, "You're strangers here."  
  
"We're just passing through." Han said, flipping the switch on his comlink under the table.  
  
"We figure you're moving into our territory. This grid is ours and we mean to keep it that way." His voice was dripping with menace.  
  
"We mean you no harm," Luke soothed, using the force to convince them.  
  
The man repeated, "You mean us no harm."  
  
One of the lizard creature hit the man in the back of his head with his two fingered fist and spat, "Jedi."  
  
A Wookie growl caught the group's attention, and three shots came from the doorway before they could even react. Luke pulled the blasters out of the remaining two's hands with the force. They hardly had any time to realized they were disarmed before Leia and Han stunned them into oblivion. Mara had slipped from the booth and had her blaster held to the bartender's head, who was cautiously lowering his weapon.  
  
"It's okay, Mara." Luke said.  
  
"Listen to your boyfriend, girl." the bartender said. "I was just providing back up if things got ugly."  
  
She jabbed him in the head for calling her girl, took his weapon, and only then lowered her blaster.  
  
Han shut his comlink down and said, "Nice going, Chewy."  
  
Chewbacca sound a satisfied growl and lowered his bowcaster.  
  
The bartender said, "They're gonna' be none too happy when they wake up. Better if they do that someplace else."  
  
They worked together to move the unconscious bodies in to the side alley that Mara and Leia had only recently vacated. Chewbacca and Han huddled in a private conversation while Luke and the bartender exchanged a few private words.  
  
Luke returned and told Leia and Mara, "He says that besides the storeroom the only other place to check would be the turbolift."  
  
Han and Chewy had grim expressions on their faces.  
  
"What is it, Han?" Leia asked.  
  
He shook his head minutely, indicating that now was not the time. The bartender opened the back room for them. Han, Leia, and Chewbacca searched the storeroom under the Bartender's watchful eye.  
  
Luke and Mara forced open the turbolift doors to peer inside. After a protesting groan, the dusty alcove received the first light in years. Mara directed a small hand held spotlight into the empty turbolift, shining it on the etched walls and slime covered floor. Insects scurried away from the illumination.  
  
"Doesn't seem like a likely place."  
  
"Maybe it goes up somewhere?" Luke said.  
  
After a lengthy inspect they finally gave up.  
  
"Maybe if we studied a detailed map we can see where this once led." Mara said, but doubt tinged her voice.  
  
Han and Leia had even less luck. Aside from discover a rather old bottle of Alderaniaan wine that Han purchased surreptitiously, they found nothing. The Solo clan returned and shook their heads regretfully.  
  
They left the tapcafe in silence. Chewy led them down a few narrow passageways leading them to the end of an alley. It did not take them long to determine that what first appeared to be a pile of rubbish was actually a pile of dead bodies.  
  
Six dead noghri.  
  
"Who could have done this?" Leia asked in horror.  
  
Mara bent down to examine the bodies. After a moment, she stood up. "They died in different ways." She pointed at one, "This one was stabbed. This one has blaster burns. And I think these other three have been poisoned." She examined the sixth and then said, "I can't figure out what killed this last one."  
  
Han examined the three poison victims and said, "Trulark poisoning, it looks like someone convinced them to drink it. There around the edges." He pointed to some green foam that was still visible around one the dead noghri's mouth.  
  
Luke said, dully, "The last was killed by a lightsaber."  
  
Leia said, "I'll make arrangements for someone to do an investigation and notify their families." Her eyes filed with tears and Han hugged her.  
  
"Shhh." He whispered.  
  
"I sent them here, Han."  
  
"It's not your fault." Han reassured.  
  
"It's mine." Luke said gravely.  
  
Mara grew angry and glared at them, "I'm not going to let any of you take the blame for this. The Sith lord beaten us here. He's responsible for their deaths. And we have to face the possibility that the reason that we didn't find anything, is that there is nothing left to find. It's already been taken."  
  
Chewbacca moaned mournfully.  
  
The stood silently for a moment until Han urged, "Come on, Let's get out of here."  
  
Chewbacca and the Solos left for their ship. Luke stood staring at the dead bodies as if unwilling to leave the alone.  
  
Mara watched him and when she saw that they were alone, she put her arms around him. "Hey." She said, peering deeply into his eyes. It took a moment for the shuttered looked to leave Luke's face and when Mara knew that he was aware of his surroundings again, she said, "Come on, Skywalker, let's go."  
  
Luke nodded reluctantly and put an arm around her. Mara's heart ached for him, knowing how much this had meant to the Jedi, aware of how hard the noghris' deaths were for him. They walked slowly, wearily back to their ship.  
  
Han and Leia watched them pass without a word. Chewbacca powered up their ship while Mara moved to take control of their rented vehicle. She quickly replaced the drive stabilizer and started the ignition.  
  
They left the Final Resting Place far behind.  
  
(Thanks again to Jayde Star) 


	10. Part Ten

Double Double Desire and Trouble By Rhea  
  
Part Ten  
  
Luke was lost in introspection, unaware of his surroundings. Mara piloted the ship through the night sky, the multicolor neon lights illuminating their way. After a short debate, Mara navigated to Luke's apartment. She figured that if he were on familiar grounds, he might recover some of his equilibrium. Mara could feel his sorrow clinging to him like a cold blanket. She glanced repeatedly at him, and his expression never altered. He continued to stare unseeing into the night.  
  
When the air speeder landed, the slight jolt prompted him to move from the speeder. Mara shut down the vehicle and followed the Jedi. Habit took over and he walked to his apartment. She was concerned for Luke. Mara had seen him depressed before, and the death of the noghri combined with the loss of the Jedi Trust was not something to be taken lightly. She followed him to his door, and after he entered his security code, Mara turned to leave.  
  
Luke turned toward her and gave her a small apologetic smile, "Don't go." His eyes were clouded with emotion, his face haggard.  
  
The red haired woman nodded slightly and followed the Jedi into the sparse apartment. R2D2 warbled a greeting and Luke patted the astromech's dome absentmindedly. The little droid rolled off to another room. Mara inspected her surroundings, as Luke turned the light down to a minimum. The furniture was functional and tasteful. There were no trinkets or art pieces on the gleaming glass tables. The carpet was a plush gold, and the walls a pale green. A large sand painting of Tatooine glistened above the couch in the central room. The Jedi turned on low instrumental music that seemed to fill the silence, but it remained unobtrusively in the background.  
  
"Come look at the view. I've always enjoyed seeing the Manarai Mountains from here." Luke said as he opened the door onto the balcony.  
  
Mara followed him without a word. It was remarkably quiet outside, far away from the regularly traveled skyways. "Are you going to be alright?" Mara asked, her eyes were full of concern.  
  
Luke's mouth curved into a slight smile. "I just can't believe that it's all gone." He turned to gaze at the panoramic view of the city.  
  
"We still don't know that for sure." Mara said without any real conviction.  
  
Luke's smile became just a bit broader, "Come on Mara. I thought you were good at bluffing."  
  
Mara smiled ruefully at him and said teasingly, "You still have yet to get the pot right."  
  
Some of the coldness left the Jedi and his eyes twinkled, "That's right. I forgot that you're after my droid."  
  
"That and other things." Mara said flippantly. She walked up to the edge and grasped the railing. It was cool to the touch. No longer protected by the building, the cooling breeze made the loose tendrils of her braid dance. It felt good against her flushed face.  
  
Luke joined her at the edge and laid his hand over her own. She glanced down at the tanned hand, then she closed her eyes and lifted her face into the breeze. The warmth of the contact felt good on her skin and she felt little tingles of awareness shoot up her arm.  
  
"Whatever I have to give Mara, it's yours." His voice was low and warm. Mara rolled his words around in her head and then opened her eyes to meet his gaze. Luke appeared tired, but his eyes were bright, and she thought he had never looked more handsome.  
  
"I just might take you up on that." she said, as if she were try to warn him. The coldness disappeared from the Jedi at her words. His force signature flared to meet her own. His mouth tipped upward in a sideways smile.  
  
"I wish you would." Luke said simply. Mara's mouth went dry. Skywalker seemed to have a knack for putting her off balance. She was a supremely confident and capable woman. She was deadly in a fight and cunning when the situation called for it. At times like these, when Mara was alone with him, he brought out her vulnerable side, a part of her she did not even know she possessed until she met this certain Jedi. She had no problem expressing the physical side of their relationship, but she was hesitant when it came to exposing her feelings.  
  
Luke closed the space between their mouths and gently kissed her. She sank into the kiss, pressing against him. She laid her hands flat against his back. Their hearts thundered in unison, all their cares slipping away in this simple act of touching. It started as a gentle kiss, a mere caress of lip against lip. Mara felt Luke's force sense seeking more intimate contact and she lowered her barriers revealing her heart. Luke was surprised and gratified by her openness. The depth of her feelings astounded him. The Jedi could read her fears as well as feel her love. This knowledge eliminated the last of his doubts and made him determined to clear the air between them. He groaned pulling her hard against him. Their movements became more heated; the blood rushed through their veins. The kiss grew more intense, filled with longing and desperation. In the wake of this onslaught, Mara lost the ability to think coherently. Luke pulled away to gaze at her. Their gasps intermingled in the cool night breeze.  
  
He closed his eyes, fighting for control. Mara watched him, momentarily confused by his withdrawal. She shuddered, and Luke tightened his grip on her. When his breathing slowed Luke said, "Stay with me."  
  
Mara nodded, "Of course."  
  
He clarified, "I don't mean just tonight. I mean always." He hurried to continue, "I don't want your answer now. Give it some time. Think about it." His eyelids dropped, and he seemed to be watching her from a distance. When he shifted uncomfortably, Mara knew he was shielding himself from her, afraid of her reaction.  
  
Mara was unable to form words past the lump in her throat. After swallowing hard she asked, "Are you sure about this?" her voice was barely audible. She blinked hard, wondering at the growing dampness in her eyes.  
  
"Absolutely certain." Luke said with complete resolve. He seemed to relax.  
  
Her breath hitched in her throat. She extended her force senses trying to read the Jedi and where she normally encountered a barrier, her pathway was clear. His emotions shone clear and bright, painting a vivid picture of his trust in her. Mara was humbled by his willingness to share so much of himself with her. The Jedi was absolutely certain they were right together and he was unrelenting in his love for her. It was both beautiful and terrifying in its intensity.  
  
Mara gasped and Luke took her face gently, showing her that he would not demand from her the absolute devotion that the Emperor had once expected. It was as if a mirage suddenly coalesced into reality. She suddenly understood her reluctance for a deeper relationship with Luke. She feared his potential, and wondered if she could ever withstand the raw power of him. She flinched. They closed their eyes swaying, staggered by her retreat.  
  
A part of Luke wanted to cry out in anguish, but the moment Mara felt his pain at her mental recoil, she resurged forward. *I'll never leave you Luke.* Mara said through the force.  
  
*I'd never hurt you.* Luke returned. Relief swept over him so powerfully that when they both opened their eyes they saw that they had slid to the floor of the balcony.  
  
"I'm sorry, Luke." Mara said, ashamed of her momentary unwillingness to face the Jedi.  
  
"Don't ever forget how powerful you are in the force, Mara. I could never do anything to you that you couldn't stop."  
  
"I know." Mara looked up and saw tears streaming down his face. Already upset about the events of the day, this proved to be too much. Her heart clenched at the sight and she moaned, "Oh, Luke."  
  
He lowered his head and repeated, "I'll never hurt you." She could feel the spike of fear within him, and Mara knew that he was thinking of his constant battle with the Dark Side. She put her arms out and he bent over, burying his face in her lap. Mara combed her fingers through his hair. Sorrow filled his soul and spilled over into her own. He wept silently and Mara's heart tore in two. She had caused this. She was responsible for this pain. She could feel the warm moisture spill from her eyes to land on his bent head.  
  
"Listen to me, Luke." Mara said insistently, "You are not the Emperor, and you are not your father, either. You are the man I love, the one I want to spend the rest of my life tormenting with my bad temper and even worse cooking."  
  
Luke started to shake, and Mara felt the anguish well up in her. Her hands clenched into fists. It took her a moment to realize that he was not crying but laughing.  
  
"Stupid, Jedi," Mara sighed in relief.  
  
He raised his head, smiling with quiet joy. All signs of weariness were gone from his features. He looked years younger as he chuckled until she felt uncomfortable at his continued laughter.  
  
"You find this amusing?" she asked churlishly.  
  
"I love everything about you, Mara. I love you so much that sometimes I'm sure I'll go supernova."  
  
"That's hormones talking." Mara grumbled.  
  
"No. Don't belittle what I'm saying. I know how I feel, and you can feel it too." His eyes were wide and his voice earnest.  
  
Mara nodded, the smile on her face mirroring his own. "Yes, I can. You certainly don't do anything in halves do you, Skywalker?"  
  
"There's no point in destroying only half the Death Star."  
  
Mara cocked her head to one side, "I thought Lando's group did just that."  
  
Luke began to laugh and stood up, pulling her to her feet. He flashed her a brilliant, boyish smile. He picked her up and spun her around and Mara laughed at his exuberance. "Put me down." Mara said, not really meaning it.  
  
"Come on. Let's go inside." He said and instead of setting her down he carried her through his apartment. He did not stop until they stood beside the bed.  
  
"Just what do you think you're doing, Skywalker?" Mara asked, her voice was light.  
  
"I'm making love to you, Mara."  
  
"Don't I have a say in this?" she teased.  
  
"Nope." He replied simply and lowered her so that she slid across his body. He began to kiss Mara almost reverently. Mara began to shake and she leaned against him. They had made love before, but there was something different this time. There was a deeper hue of tenderness that colored their actions. It was as if each caress was an expression of devotion. Their force senses joined, multiplying the sensations ten fold.  
  
Mara smiled at Luke and began to remove his tunic. Luke shrugged it off. She kissed his neck, slowly moving down the length. He griped her tightly, swallowing hard. Luke watched her through slitted eyelids. He reveled in the fact that she was taking the initiative. Callista never once touched him of her own volition. She would never even kiss him unless he started it.  
  
As if sensing the name that had fluttered through his mind, Mara rose up to her toes bringing their faces closer together, and kissed him. This was a kiss of possession. It demanded complete surrender. All thoughts fled his mind and he reacted. He kissed her with utter abandon. They pressed tightly against each other, removing their clothing in a frantic urgency. Their passion quickly escalated and they fell to the bed, limbs entwined.  
  
It was hours later before they fell asleep in each others arms.  
  
Mara arose from the bed to find that she was alone. She pulled the sheet around her and sat up. He entered the room and she reached for him calling his name, "Luke."  
  
"Don't you look inviting there." Luke said softly. He leaned against the open doorway, his eyes glittering slits.  
  
Mara's felt a tickle at the back of her mind. "What's wrong Luke?"  
  
The blond man smiled and walked slowly toward her. She felt as if a snake curled in her belly. "Nothing's wrong, my dear. Everything is perfect."  
  
When he smiled, a shiver ran down the back of her neck. Then she knew with utter certainty, what had happened. Where was Luke? What had happened to him since she had fallen asleep? Because this wasn't Skywalker - Mara had gone to bed with Luke and woken up with his imposter. 


	11. Part Eleven

Double Double Desire and Trouble  
  
By Rhea  
  
Part Eleven  
  
It was the middle of the night when Luke heard the comlink in the other room. He felt an impending sense of doom pressing down on him. He glanced over at Mara, and was immeasurably relieved to see her still sleeping peacefully. He slipped noiselessly from the bed, and glanced regretfully at the resting woman. Luke walked to the other room and he saw the call was from Leia. Luke pulled on a pair of sleep pants and answered it.  
  
Leia peered at him searchingly from the monitor. Her eyes soaked in every detail of his appearance. "Leia, What is it? What's wrong?" Luke immediately sensed something amiss.  
  
"Are you alone?" She asked  
  
Luke blushed and asked, "What's wrong, Leia?"  
  
Her eyes narrowed and she asked, "Is Mara with you?"  
  
Luke nodded almost reluctantly.  
  
A small smile curved her lips, but it was not one of amusement. Luke was surprised at her expression. He thought that after today, she would have been happy for him. He had believed that Mara and Leia had developed a rapport, maybe even the beginnings of friendship. "Can you meet me?" she asked.  
  
"Now?"  
  
Leia nodded  
  
"Can't it wait till the morning?" Luke asked, his concern quickly escalating into alarm.  
  
"I think we better talk now." She said with serious calm.  
  
Dread coiled in his gut. "Alright. I'll be right over."  
  
"No. Not here. I don't want to worry Han. Let's meet at the café just outside the Imperial Palace."  
  
"What's this about, Leia?"  
  
"The noghri."  
  
"I'm on my way."  
  
When he arrived Leia was already there with a cooling cup of hot chocolate waiting for him. She sat in a private booth far in the corner of the cafe. Leia was dressed in a utilitarian jumpsuit, her hair coiled in a simple braid on her head. Luke moved to hug his sister and she seemed almost reluctant to touch him. Luke felt as if a cold breeze brushed across his soul. He sat down across from her, watching her closely. He tried to read her, but his force senses could detect nothing.  
  
"What's happened?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Luke. I'm just upset about the news. Drink your hot chocolate, and we'll talk." Leia suggested.  
  
Luke took a sip and winced at the bitter taste. Leia watched him expectantly. The Jedi smiled as he continued to sip the drink, not wanting to offend his sister. He appreciated her thoughtfulness in ordering it for him.  
  
"Thanks" he said politely.  
  
Leia smiled ferally and said, "My pleasure." Then she began to explain. "The noghri were killed easily by the Clawdite." At Luke's puzzled look Leia said irritatedly, "The shape shifter. You see, he took on the appearance of the fellow noghri and even though they suspected, something about the smell not being quite right, they were unwilling to harm one of their companions."  
  
Breathing became a struggle as the muscles of his throat began to tighten, slowly making it more and more difficult to draw air. Luke began to feel panic edge the corners of his mind. Drawing on his training, he struggled to control this emotion. The force seemed elusive, strangely remote. He grasped at the edges of it, hearing Leia's voice from a distance.  
  
"And who drinks hot chocolate in a cantina?" Leia asked, her eyes no longer brown but a glowing orange. He felt horror fill him, clouding his mind as his eyes went wide in shock. This was not his sister. He had walked right into a trap and had never even seen it coming.  
  
Everything made a terrible sense. "Dathor." Luke gasped. The poison was working quickly, he could feel the burning sensation spread through his veins, reaching for his heart. Luke's glassy gaze fell to the tepid cup of chocolate, remembering the bitterness.  
  
"Ahh. I see the almighty Jedi Master has finally figured it out. Yes, I'm afraid that your friend Dathor Whitesun died in a rebel insurrection years ago. But he did prove useful in learning more about you."  
  
The edges of Luke's vision had begun to darken. He pulled his gaze up to meet the imposter's with a tremendous effort. With great determination, he gathered the force around him and attempted to stop the flow of the poison. He fumbled for his lightsaber, but could not find the strength to activate the weapon. Leia's features had started to melt away, and his own were slowly taking their place. The shape shifter reached forward and took Luke's lightsaber from his numb fingers. He clipped it to his own belt and stood up. "There's no use fighting, Jedi. There is no cure."  
  
Luke peered into a mirror image of himself, with orange glowing eyes. Fear clouded Luke's mind as he realized that the imposter was heading back to his apartment, back to Mara. He tried to reach out to Mara, to warn her, but he was too weak. Despite his struggle, the darkness overpowered the Jedi. He fell into oblivion.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Mara felt the shock begin to fade and cold rationality reasserted itself. Mara edged out of bed and Luke's imposter murmured, "What's the rush? It's still early."  
  
It was eerie to face someone who looked exactly like Luke and to feel it in her heart that it was not him. She stretched out through the force, trying to contact Luke, and met only emptiness. Her force senses seemed muted and she wondered for the first time if this shape shifter was a force user. Mara made sure her shields were as impenetrable as she could make them. The imposter was wearing a standard issue jumpsuit that he started to unbutton as he drew closer. She glanced surreptitiously around, and realized that her weapons were in the other room. She was naked, standing with just a sheet wrapped around her, facing someone who thought she believed he was Luke Skywalker. She decided it would be better to go along with the charade until she figured out his intentions. Unfortunately, those seemed to include joining her in the bed.  
  
Mara playfully slapped at his chest and said, "There's plenty of time for that later."  
  
He pulled her roughly against his body grabbing her buttocks with a familiarity that galled her. Mara had to exert every ounce of control to avoid lashing out. Instead, she emptied her mind and responded as best she could to his passionate kiss. Because he looked and felt like Luke, it made it both harder and easier for her to go along with the pretense. She could pretend it was the man she loved, but it was like a nightmare where everything was just slightly off. Mara could not help but wonder where the real Luke was, fearing for his safety. Surely, she would sense if he were hurt or even killed? Wouldn't she? Mara pushed the concern about Luke's fate into a dark corner of her mind. She had to get out of here, to regain control, or she would be unable to stop this shape shifter from having his way with her.  
  
His desire pulsed through her, and Mara felt the beginnings of panic. She bit his lip out of malice, which he immediately took for desire, and said, "Luke, as much as I'd like to continue this, didn't you tell me that your sister was coming over this morning?" This was a lie, but he didn't know that.  
  
The shape shifter froze and pulled back to look down at her. Mara stared back at him, the spark of warmth she had grown to associate with the Jedi was missing. Two ice blue eyes peered deeply into her own. He sighed and said, "Of course. I'm going to have to warn her that we are not going to be here."  
  
Mara's raised a questioning eyebrow at him.  
  
"I received some information that I believe will allow us to find the Jedi Vault."  
  
Mara quickly suppressed a ripple of surprise. If the Sith lord or the shape shifter did not have the information, then it was still possible to find it. Mara decided that this might be the break that might lead them to the Vault.  
  
"Then we should have the Solos come with us, don't you think?" Mara asked, casually withdrawing from his embrace.  
  
He looked down at her, and she was momentarily unnerved wondering for half a second if she had been mistaken. Had Luke just woken up in an odd mood, and she was reading things wrong? But that doubt vanished almost as quickly as it had arisen. She had a bond with Luke that was absent with this man. After the things they said and shared last night, she had no remaining doubt about how Luke felt about her. He loved her and he would never willingly shut her out.  
  
He smiled indulgently and said, "This is something that we should do alone. They mean well, I know, but it would be best if they did not come with us."  
  
Mara nodded slowly, as if he had convinced her and said, "Well, then I better make that call to her, then." If she could contact Organa-Solo, then perhaps she could let her know what was going on.  
  
"No." Luke's imposter said just a little too fast. "No." he repeated a little more slowly, "I'll call her, why don't you get ready?"  
  
Mara eyed the monitor reluctantly and smiled up at him. "Right."  
  
She moved toward the 'fresher, dragging the sheet with her.  
  
"You weren't shy last night." He commented, challengingly.  
  
After a brief hesitation, Mara let the sheet drop and faced him proudly. His eyes narrowed, and she could feel his hunger. She smiled as if she were pleased with his reaction and walked as quickly as she could into the 'fresher without appearing hurried. She locked the door behind her and slumped back against the flimsy barrier. She swore silently to herself, realizing that she had failed to grab a change of clothing.  
  
She turned on the 'fresher and searched the small room. There were no windows in which an escape might be possible. The only way out was the locked door. There were a few toiletries which she might be able to mix into something that would make a meager weapon, but she decided it was better to wait until another opportunity presented itself. Right now, the shape shifter did not know that she was aware of his deception. That gave her the advantage. Mara was not going to lose that advantage with an assault that had little chance of success.  
  
She stepped into the real water shower, briefly enjoying this luxury. She could understand a man who grew up on a desert planet, installing one of these in his 'fresher. Mara had installed one on her ship. She was tempted to try to reach out again to Luke through the force, but feared that to do so would make her vulnerable to her adversary. Her barriers were firmly in place, she did not want to be the one to breach those defenses. Mara felt an aching void where her bond with Luke use to be. Something was dreadfully wrong, but she refused to think about it until she was free. Instead, she jumped out of the shower, letting the water continue to run as covering noise and scrolled a quick note for Luke on the mirror through the steam.  
  
She shut off the water and turned on the fan, dressing in Luke's robe. Mara inhaled deeply, drinking in the lingering clean scent of Luke's soap. Mara's heart clench in fear for him. "Where was he?" She thought for the hundredth time that morning. She pulled her hair into a severe braid. Only when the steam had completely evaporated, and the message disappeared, did Mara leave the 'fresher.  
  
Thankfully, the room was empty and she dressed quickly. Mara noticed the second balcony door in the bedroom. She had not noticed it last night and wondered why Luke had not used it to enter the room. She inspected the door and realized it was locked. Mara was just about to break the lock, when Luke's voice said, "Needing a little fresh air?"  
  
Mara whirled around to regard the imposter. Her heart thumped in her chest. The suspicion was obvious on his face. He had changed into one of Luke's traditional Jedi black robes, the hood thrown back.  
  
"I was just wondering why you kept this locked?" she lied. She approached him and ran her hand lovingly down his chest. The suspicion started to fade and she leaned up and kissed him. She could feel the tension in him, the doubt.  
  
"Do we have to go right now?" Mara breathed, praying he would not accept what she was pretending to offer.  
  
He grabbed her and kissed her fiercely. His misgivings gone in an instant, no longer wondering if she knew his true identity. He began to undo the buttons on her clothing and pushed her onto the bed. Mara was frantically running through options on how to escape this mess, wondering if she could retrieve her weapons. She doubted she could kill a shape shifter with her bare hands, since tissue and bone were so malleable for this species. His hands ran frantically over her body and she turned her face aside, swearing silently to herself.  
  
"We have time." The imposter said, his face was flushed and his eyes were no longer blue. They had a decided orange cast to them now. Just then, R2D2 rolled into the room and twittered. The shape shifter reared back, startled. Mara turned and smiled thankfully at the droid. This was the first time the imposter had noticed the droid in the apartment. Mara took the opportunity to pull free and gain some distance. She got to her feet and straightened her clothing.  
  
"What is it Artoo? Is Leia here?" Mara asked, and her words had the desired effect on the imposter.  
  
His eyes widened, and returned to bright blue. His eyebrows drew together and Mara felt a tingling in her force sense. He relaxed slightly and Mara was sure that he was aware that they were still alone.  
  
He rose to his feet anyway and said, "Come on, let's go."  
  
The imposter reached out and clipped a cylindrical device to the belt at his waist. Dread pounded through Mara's head, and she felt everything stop. This could not be happening. She watched the weapon sway slightly as it settled against the shape shifter's hip.  
  
It was Luke's lightsaber.  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
Luke awoke in the central medcenter. He vaguely remembered a dream with Yoda urging him to do something, but it was like a distant memory. Leia was leaning over him worriedly. Luke recoiled, seeing the face of his sister, but not sure of her actual identity.  
  
"Luke, it's okay. It's me, Leia." Her voice was soothing, her force sense overlapping his own, blanketing him in her concern and love.  
  
Luke relaxed, feeling the difference immediately. This was his sister. She was warm and vibrant, unlike the empty spot he had grown to associate with the shape shifter.  
  
His head spun, and his stomach heaved, but he forced himself upright and scanned the room frantically, "Mara? Where's Mara?"  
  
Leia laid a gentle hand on her brother, trying to coax him to lay down again, "I don't know, Luke. Han and I tried to contact her, but she hasn't returned our coms. I left a message with Talon Karrde, but he doesn't know where she is either."  
  
When Luke reached out through their bond, he stretched into nothingness. He did not know if Mara were alive or dead, she was just gone. Alarm surged to the forefront. "How long have I been out?"  
  
Leia gave up on her attempt to get Luke to lay down again. "About twenty four hours."  
  
"Sithspit!" Luke jumped out of bed and almost collapsed on the floor. The vehemence behind his words, caused the low level dread Leia felt to explode into genuine fear.  
  
"What happened Luke? What were you doing in the café at that hour of the night?"  
  
Instead of answering her he asked, "Have you checked my apartment?"  
  
Leia shook her head, "No."  
  
"We have to go there, now." Luke said with implacable urgency.  
  
C3P0 entered the room, just as the Jedi was pulling monitors from his body and said, "Oh Master Luke, It's so good to see you up and around again. They say by all rights you should be dead. Why, Master Luke, what ever are you doing? You are far too ill to leave."  
  
Han stood beside the golden droid and grimaced at the protocol droid's tirade. Both Leia and Han shouted, "Shut up!" and the golden droid dropped into silence.  
  
Luke arrived at his apartment without remembering the journey there. He vaguely recalled Han saying he would get in touch with Karrde and C3P0 moaning about the general fate of the universe.  
  
He felt feverish and he did not think it was entirely due to the lingering effects of his poisoning. He jumped when he realized he was not alone. Leia punched in his access code after Luke had stared unblinkingly at his front door for a full minute. The door slid open. The room was dark. Leia walked in first, activating the light controls. The Jedi was reluctant to enter the apartment. As long as he stood in the entryway, he could believe Mara waited for him inside.  
  
Leia watched her brother, deeply concerned. She could feel his hope fading away and the despair growing. It was unlike him to give up like this. She moved through the apartment noting the rumpled bed and the pair of coveralls lying discarded on the floor. A long strand of red-gold hair glistened on Luke's pillow. It didn't take an intelligence officer to piece together the scene.  
  
Luke stood beside her and said dully, "That was the outfit the imposter wore when he poisoned me."  
  
"I'm sure she's alright, Luke." Leia said, unable to keep the doubt from coloring her voice.  
  
"I can't sense her, Leia." Luke said, the anger growing within him. He clenched his fists convulsively. His eyes narrowed and Leia retreated a step. Then she pulled herself together and put her arms around him in an embrace. He remained stiff for only a moment before hugging her tightly.  
  
R2D2 bumped against his leg, warbling frantically. Luke pulled away to read the droid's illuminated translation screen affixed to the top of his dome.  
  
"You saw Mara leave with me this morning?" Luke asked the droid, and then smiled, "And you knew it wasn't me because his heat signature was different? Tell me everything that happened."  
  
The droid informed them of how he had watched everything, knowing that someone was impersonating his master. The imposter had spent some time with Mara and then left to place a call to the Solo residence while Mara was in the 'fresher.  
  
"Why did he call? I haven't had a chance to check my messages." Leia asked.  
  
Artoo continued to explain that Mara had told the imposter that Leia was expected to arrive at any minute and the imposter left a message in an attempt to prevent her from coming.  
  
"But I wasn't expected over. We never made any arrangements . . ." Leia's voice trailed off and a huge grin stretched her lips. "Mara knew it wasn't you." Leia said  
  
Luke nodded, somewhat relieved. "I can't sense her, but maybe it's because she's shielding herself. What else happened Artoo?"  
  
The droid told them about entering the room and interrupting the kiss.  
  
Luke's expression grew dark and he became a study of controlled anger.  
  
"Good old Artoo." Leia said.  
  
The droid warbled mournfully.  
  
"No, I don't like him much either. Hopefully, we won't ever see him again." Luke said intently. "If I know Mara, she would have tried to leave us a message."  
  
Luke set about searching the room and entered the 'fresher. He noticed a smudge on the mirror and on a hunch, turned on the shower.  
  
"You're going to take a shower now?" Leia asked incredulously.  
  
Then they both saw the message appear.  
  
Final Resting Place - M.  
  
"I'll call Han and Karrde." Leia said.  
  
Luke shook his head, "No. I'm going alone."  
  
Leia was about to protest, saw the stubborn set of his jaw, and remained quiet.  
  
(Thanks again to Jayde Star for the beta read!) 


	12. Part Twelve

Double Double Desire and Trouble  
  
By Rhea  
  
Part Twelve  
  
Mara watched Luke's imposter pilot the airspeeder. While he flew, he seemed to have forgotten Mara's presence. He moved quickly and efficiently weaving in the air traffic and descending through the levels of Coruscant. The joy of speed and the freedom Mara had grown to associate with the Jedi was missing.  
  
She hefted her blaster, concealing her movements. The weight was slightly off so she suspected that the shape shifter had tampered with the weapon. The hilt of her lightsaber rested comfortingly against her thigh. Her gaze drifted to Luke's saber. The shock had faded. The dread and sorrow were buried deep within her. The only emotion she could still feel was a terrible and cold rage. She struggled to contain it, not wanting to drop her cover. Mara promised herself that she would kill this man and in a very slow and painful fashion.  
  
Luke's face looked at her and smiled questioningly.  
  
"The noghris' death just makes me angry." Mara tried to explain.  
  
He nodded, excepting her justification. Each difference between the real Luke and this imposter seemed to suddenly magnify under her scrutiny. He didn't seem like her beloved as much as a parody -- A terrible joke that contained no humor.  
  
"We must remember, Mara, that in the grand scheme of the universe, their deaths caused barely a ripple."  
  
Mara's mouth twisted. She wondered if the imposter had any idea how out of character this statement was for Skywalker.  
  
They moved from the day lit upper areas into the lower regions. It was odd to descend into the darkness in the middle of the day. It took a moment for Mara's eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. Their vehicle set down in the alleyway, not far from Mara and Luke originally landed.  
  
"I know you don't feel comfortable with the Jedi, Mara. I would never force you to embrace that ideology. I'm talking about something more than the Jedi- Something powerful."  
  
"What are you talking about Skywalker?" Mara asked.  
  
The name seemed to pull the shape shifter back and he lapsed into silence for a moment, regrouping. He exited the vehicle and held out a hand to assist Mara. She exited without touching him.  
  
"I've been thinking, meditating, and I'm beginning to believe that the Jedi have it backwards."  
  
Mara raised her eyebrows at him. Her hands rested aggressively on her hips. He approached her, gauging her reaction to his words. Mara reinforced her barriers with a technique she had learned from the Emperor. Even Vader had not been able to breach these defenses.  
  
"The Jedi Creed states that there is no love, no passion. But I feel passion for you, Mara Jade. How can that be wrong? When I embrace my emotions I only grow stronger. There is no dark or light side of the force. There is only power. Anger can make you strong, you of all people should understand that."  
  
In a twisted sort of way, his words made sense. He continued to approach her. He raised a hand to grasp the end of one red-gold braid, examining it in the light of the yellow and green neon. Mara struggled to stand her ground.  
  
"Together, we can do anything. Nothing would stand in our way."  
  
"Is that a marriage proposal." Mara asked archly. She wanted nothing more than to ask him what he did to Luke, and then to strangle him.  
  
"It's whatever you want it to be." He replied.  
  
Her stomach heaved, threatening to revolt in her body. He wanted to take Luke's place in her life permanently. Did he honestly think she'd never know any different? She would play along until they recovered the Jedi Trust, because it had meant so much to Luke, then she'd enjoy tearing this man apart.  
  
"Lookee here." A voice interrupted them. It was one of the thugs that had originally accosted them in the tapcafe. He hefted a large blaster and approached them menacingly.  
  
Without turning his head, the shape shifter reached out a hand and called his attacker's weapon to his hand. He pointed the blaster and fired. Mara stared in silence as the body fell to the ground and thudded dully in the alleyway. She didn't know why she hadn't made the connection before. It had been so obvious. The imposter was the Sith lord.  
  
"How long have you known?" he asked in a deadly voice.  
  
Mara felt a momentary panic, her mind racing.  
  
"How long have you known?" he repeated his eyes as cold as durasteel.  
  
Mara smirked, "Known that you were falling to the dark side? Known of how dangerous you are? How powerful you could be? How nothing seems to ever kill you and how you enjoy exacting vengeance in a manner frowned upon by the Jedi Academy."  
  
Luke's eyes grew wide, and Mara felt satisfaction as she felt a wave of his fear.  
  
She continued, "How you can never escape your heritage, and neither can I. Darth Vader was your father, one of the most feared beings in the galaxy. The Emperor was my master. We are linked in a dark circle."  
  
His eyes narrowed and he smiled, "Yes. I can see that I made a good choice in you, Mara Jade. You will be my lover, my apprentice, my companion as we join forces and rule the galaxy."  
  
Mara gritted her teeth and smiled.  
  
They picked their way through the refuse strew alleyway, pausing outside the Final Resting Place. All of a sudden, they were under siege. Small dark figures threw lethal looking daggers at them from the shadows. Mara ignited her lightsaber and the imposter did the same. She noticed that although the power swelled within him, he didn't seem to be skilled in the art of combat. Perhaps his ability to assume the shape of his adversaries had made him rely on trickery rather than battle skills.  
  
She realized it was a group of noghris attacking them. Mara was about to retreat when a sharp pain exploded in her head. The last thing she heard before falling into the ebony abyss was a noghri's rasping whisper, "Sincerest apologies, but you have been tricked and we have come to set things aright."  
  
Some time later the darkness began to recede. The pain in Mara's head beat a counter rhythm to her heartbeat. She heard a low groan and realized it had issued from her mouth. She opened her eyes, wondering if her eyelids had always been this heavy.  
  
Luke bent over her and smiled when he saw that she was aware, "Welcome back," his voice caressed her and she felt a surge of happiness. Skywalker was alive. He was here. A trickle of dried blood ran from his right temple down to his chin.  
  
"You're hurt." She said, reaching out and touching the line of blood. The moment she made contact with his skin, she felt the coldness within him, the aching emptiness.  
  
"Not as badly as those noghri." He replied smugly. His eyes grew hard and the lines of his face tensed with restrained hostility.  
  
She felt her joy evaporate like exhaust fumes in the void of space.  
  
"How long was I unconscious?" Mara asked.  
  
"Hours. I was beginning to think that you weren't ever going to regain consciousness."  
  
Mara lay reclined on a booth seat in the tapcafe. She sat up holding her aching head. "I'm surprised that you waited for me. I know how much this Jedi Trust means to you." She watched his face, wondering why he was still there.  
  
"I wouldn't leave you, Mara. Besides, I couldn't get very far without the key."  
  
"The key? What key?"  
  
"You know, the object you had analyzed by the Jade's Fire's computers. The thing you found on Malak Doome's remains."  
  
He had sliced the Jade's Fire's computers. Mara made no comment about this inadvertent slip of information, "Don't you remember where I stored it?" Mara asked, unable to resist making the imposter squirm. When she reached for his light saber he reared back, his eyes becoming hooded. She watched him carefully as she removed the object from the saber's hidden compartment in the hilt.  
  
A large unpleasant smile spread across Skywalker's handsome visage. She wondered if this image would haunt her when she lay awake at nights. That is, if she survived to make it to another night.  
  
Luke arrived just outside of the Final Resting Place. He immediately noticed another airspeeder parked in the vicinity. The sight of the vehicle filled him with hope that he was not too late. He stretched out with his feelings and for the first time since he awoke in the medcenter he could sense Mara. Luke could feel her pain and he tried to contact her more directly. He felt like he was diving into the depths of the ocean. He wanted to continue down to the sea floor, but it was too far. Luke was simultaneously comforted by the knowledge that she was alive and nearby and disturbed by his inability to deepen the contact. Mara's pain added additional fuel to his sense of urgency. Luke leapt from the vehicle and to the ground. He jogged to the tapcafe only to be intercepted by a dark figure.  
  
It was a noghri. Luke could sense that the being was injured and the Jedi asked, "What happened?"  
  
"There is a doppelganger, someone who wears your face, with the lady Mara."  
  
"I know." Luke replied grimly.  
  
"If you go in there, you will die."  
  
"Is that how you were injured?"  
  
"He has the power of Vader. He strangled my companions from a distance, only I and one other survived."  
  
"I have to go. I can't leave Mara."  
  
"I understand. I will accompany you."  
  
Luke shook his head, "No. See to yourself and your companion. I don't want more noghri deaths on my head."  
  
"It is our right to die, if we so choose." The noghri said vehemently.  
  
"Sometimes it is best to live to fight another day." Luke replied.  
  
After considering his words the noghri nodded. "You speak wisdom. Very well, I will go."  
  
Luke watched the noghri melt into the shadows of the murky alley. The Jedi felt his anger pulse in waves so strongly that it clouded the edges of his vision. His mind was clear, but the fury was almost palpable. He didn't care. If the shape shifter had the power of Vader, he must be the Sith lord, and he had taken Mara. If anything happened to Mara, if she was harmed in any way, Luke doubted he could stop his fall to the dark side. The Jedi narrowed his eyes. He would kill the Sith. There would be no last minute pleading with this dark lord to turn from his path of evil.  
  
Adrenalin rushed through his veins and the power crackled around Luke. When he approached the tapcafe, the doors exploded away, clearing a path for him.  
  
The imposter took the key and moved with great haste to the turbolift. Mara struggled to her feet, determined to follow him. He aligned the etching on the oddly shaped disk into a small groove at the back of the wall, completing a circuit. The lines burst with light, glowing in a strange blue hieroglyphic. A rumbling growled to life beneath their feet, presumably from a hidden power source. The back of the turbolift slid away, revealing a room. The Sith lord strode confidentially into the room, Mara followed more cautiously.  
  
The chamber was the size of the Solo's main room. Lighted transparasteel shelves lined the highly reflective black walls. Blue lights ran in thin lines across the dark ceiling to provide additional illumination. The shelves were lined with lightsaber hilts on the right wall, Holocrons placed in neat rows across the left. Unidentifiable scientific instruments were neatly placed in various niches and small pedestals along the edges of the room. A large star map glistened with numerous tiny lights, spanning from the ceiling to the floor, dominating the wall on the far side. She recognized the symbols streaming across a control monitor in front of the large map. They were genetic markers. It took Mara a moment to realize that the map was not actually a depiction of the galaxy, but a genealogical grid spanning generations.  
  
"This is the prize I've been seeking for ages." The imposter said.  
  
"Genealogy?"  
  
"Not just any genealogy, Jedi lineage. This computer is still linked to Coruscant Galactic census. It not only traces the heritage of the Jedi's past, but it tracks their descendants. Beings across the galaxy powerful in the force."  
  
Mara could understand the scope of what he was saying. There were millions of descendants scattered across the galaxy, all with force potential.  
  
"You can't make them all Jedi." Mara said.  
  
The imposter grimaced and then smiled. "I only need one apprentice. The rest will be eliminated. Once we are the only force users left alive, no one can stop us." He placed a memory cube into the slot below the monitor and began transferring the vast storehouse of knowledge. Mara watches as faint flickers of lights flashed across the screen to disappear in the overall glow of the map. New lights, babies being born and recorded in this vast storehouse.  
  
The Jedi Trust.  
  
With the imposter's back to her, Mara carefully unclipped her saber. She moved to close the remaining distance with great stealth. Her finger hovered over the switch, intent on activating the weapon into his back, impaling him.  
  
The lord of the Sith whirled around to face her. His eyes were a solid black, the power surged around him. "You would betray me? Luke Skywalker? Your lover?"  
  
"You're not Skywalker." she hissed trying to activate her weapon, but unable to move her finger, an incredible pressure built in her skull.  
  
"Of course I am." The imposter coaxed. The color of his eyes returned to cerulean blue.  
  
A wonderfully familiar voice asserted from the doorway. "Actually you're wrong. I'm Luke Skywalker." Both Mara and the shape shifter turned to face the Jedi. Skywalker picked up a lightsaber hilt from the shelf to his right and hefted it experimentally. He never let his eyes stray from the couple standing across the room from him.  
  
Mara's heart leapt in her chest, a smile sprang unbidden to her face, "Luke." She breathed in relief.  
  
Shock momentarily stunned the Sith lord into immobility. "You're dead." He said incredulously.  
  
Mara pressed the button on her lightsaber and the distinctive snap-hiss echoed loudly in the chamber. Her blue blade pierced the Sith lord's chest, and his eyes went wide. He pushed her back with the force, so that her weapon tumbled away and she fell heavily to the ground. He coughed and then the hole in his chest began to disappear, his flesh moving to cover the hole. He spat black blood onto the ground.  
  
He glared at Mara, "He is not the one you want, Mara. I can be anyone for you." His face shifted to Talon Karrde's. "Would you prefer this?" he asked and Mara scooted back, searching with a blind hand for her saber. Luke walked into the room to stand beside Mara's prone form. "Or how about this?" The shape shifter continued and turned into Lando Callrissian.  
  
Mara snorted  
  
"No?" then he became the Emperor, "Or perhaps this is the form most appropriate." Garbed in the hooded Jedi robes, the image was startling.  
  
"No." Mara moaned involuntarily. Luke ignited his borrowed lightsaber. The blade shone with a fiery orange light and he said with dark certainty, "You're mistaken if you think she'll ever join you."  
  
Mara slowly rose to her feet. Luke lunged forward and then stopped. His eyes grew wide and his free hand clutched at his throat. He could feel invisible fingers squeezing, making it impossible to draw breath. He collapsed, already weakened by his recent bout with Trulark poisoning. The Sith lord's eyes turned to bright orange and he hissed, "Look how the Mighty Jedi has fallen. You might have claimed her in the past, but I swear to you she is mine."  
  
Mara yelled, "No." and called her lightsaber to her hand, attacking in one smooth motion. The shape shifter released his force hold on Skywalker's neck. He parried Mara's blow with Luke's lightsaber. The blue and green blade hissed and screeched as they ground together. His eyes once again returned to Skywalker's familiar blue. Luke turned his head to witness the battle. He drew the force around him and pushed the darkness away from the edges of his vision.  
  
"Very short sighted of you, Mara. We would have been good together. I know you could feel it when I kissed you."  
  
"The only reason I kissed you was because I thought it was Luke. Why would I accept a twisted reflection when I already have the original?" She spat out. His eyes clouded and grew orange with rage. He raised a hand as if to strike Mara and her throat began to close. Mara choked, dropping to her knees. Luke rose to his feet, feeling the anger filling him with power. His eyes were dark, and his face was set in grim determination.  
  
Seeing this new attack, the shape shifter's features shifted to take on Mara's appearance. "Luke don't." the imposter said in Mara's voice. Luke hesitated for only a second and the real Mara projected into his mind, * It's just an illusion. *  
  
The Jedi could feel Mara loosing focus as her lungs burned, desperate for air. Luke slashed with the borrowed saber. The shape shifter met the blade with one of his own. Green and Orange fought for dominance with brutal fury.  
  
The grip slackened and dissipated from Mara's throat. She took a long shuddering breath. She rose unsteadily to her feet and watched the lightsaber battle. Luke was fighting furiously. Seeing the approach of a second attacker the imposter decided to try to throw Mara off. He switched forms again to appear like Luke.  
  
It was the wrong move. Not realizing that he was holding back until the Sith lord no longer looked like his beloved, Luke slashed at him, cutting him down. The Jedi continued to slice with the glowing orange blade until a great explosion of dark side energy burst from the dying shape shifter. Luke dropped to all fours and covered his face with his arm. Remembering the battle with Jorus C'baoth, Mara used the force to shield Luke as best she could. He was thrown back , but suffered no injury as Mara eased him to a stop within centimeters of the far wall. A couple of the holocrons exploded, but the remainder of the room appeared unharmed.  
  
With the death of the Sith lord, the force changed hue around them. It was as if the energy was off key and with the dark lord's death it was once again in tune. Mara lowered her barriers and the bond she shared with Skywalker resurged to life. Luke gasped and Mara closed her eyes reveling in his presence. All her worry about his fate emerged to the surface. Mara ran to Luke and dropped onto her knees beside him. He raised his face to meet her gaze. Mara's eyes ran lovingly over his pale features. Luke had a large bruise across the side of his face and a couple of long scratches across his forehead, but otherwise appeared none the worse for wear.  
  
Mara reached for him, gently touching the bruise. Luke swallowed hard, and pulled her into a tight embrace. They sat gently rocking on the floor of the Jedi Vault for the space of many heartbeats.  
  
"Are you alright?" Luke asked. "Did he . . . .?"  
  
"Nothing more than a couple of kisses. Not that he didn't try, but I managed to put him off with a little help from Artoo."  
  
Luke pulled back to see her face. "Why did you go with him when you knew who he really was?"  
  
"I wanted to find the Jedi Trust. I knew how much it meant to you."  
  
"Mara, you mean more than anything. Everything else is meaningless if you're not here to share it with me."  
  
Mara bent her head and pressed it against Luke's brow. "I thought he had killed you." Saying her unspoken fears aloud brought forth a rush of emotion too powerful for her to control. She began to sob and Luke held her, tears running down his face as well.  
  
"He tried. When I woke up in the medcenter and I couldn't sense you, I didn't know what to think." Luke said brokenly.  
  
Luke could perceive the signs of strain on her face, the weariness. He felt terrible himself, never having a chance to fully recover from the poisoning and now he had the added injuries from the duel with the shape shifter. He turned his head slightly and pressed his lips against Mara's mouth. She threw her arms around him responding instantly. Their emotions flowed freely through the force: fading anguish, desire, and love. Their lips moved sensually, lingeringly, parting for moments to catch their breath but not wanting to break contact. Mara could taste the saltiness of their tears and feel the rapid beating of Luke's heart. She smiled, when she realized that their hearts were beating in unison. Luke caught her thought through their bond and his smile joined hers.  
  
They grasped each others hands and intertwined their fingers together. Luke pulled Mara to her feet. "Come on. Let's get out of here."  
  
She nodded.  
  
Luke froze and then smiled, "We're about to have company."  
  
Mara sensed it too. Someone was approaching. Mara rubbed her face with the back of her hand doing little to eliminate the tear streaks from her face. Luke looked tired, pale, and absolutely wonderful. Her insides melted. Mara knew that she craved him like a smuggler addicted to spice. Han's drawl broke the silence, "It looks like we missed all the fun."  
  
Chewbacca growled in distinct disappointment.  
  
"Yeah, well, I'm sure they'll be other opportunities for you to save us." Mara said, dryly.  
  
Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and Talon Karrde stood in the open doorway of the Vault.  
  
"You stick with Luke and I refuse to wager against you." Han agreed.  
  
"Hey. It's not my fault." Luke said in a perfect imitation of Han.  
  
Leia smiled and said, "Come on you old pirate, they've been thorough enough, Let's leave them alone."  
  
Mara smiled gratefully at the woman and Leia gave her a sly wink in return. She pushed an unresisting Han out the door. Chewbacca threw them a long look, growled, and then left.  
  
Talon Karrde approached Mara, almost tentatively. "Are you alright?"  
  
Luke and Mara walked toward him, meeting him half way. Mara nodded, touched by his concern. "Thanks for coming Karrde. It really means a lot."  
  
His gaze went from Skywalker's to Jade's and back again. "Do you need a ride back to the apartment?" he asked.  
  
Mara glanced at Luke as he replied, "No. She's coming with me."  
  
Talon nodded as if he had just verified something that he had suspected all along "You're going to stay with Skywalker?" he asked Mara.  
  
"I'm fine Karrde, really." She assured him.  
  
"I'll take her back to her place and stay with her. She won't be alone." Luke comforted him. "I still have to reprogram my security codes."  
  
"I'll take care of that and send them to Mara using our private encrypts." Talon said. He gave them a long look then turned to follow the Solos out of the Vault.  
  
They walked slowly out of the room and through the empty tapcafe. A part of Mara wanted to be angry that they had made decisions about her without consulting her, but another part of her was too tired to care. Besides, she wasn't going to complain about Skywalker volunteering to stay the night with her. It would be nice to go home where no one else but the two of them knew the codes.  
  
She smiled evilly.  
  
Luke smiled at her, "Come on, out with it." He cajoled. Waiting for her in the open doorway of the Final Resting Place.  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked the picture of innocence.  
  
"I know that smile of yours. You're plotting something."  
  
Mara continued to walk through the doorway, and Luke indicated the direction of the airspeeder.  
  
"Me? Would I do that?"  
  
When Mara saw Luke's exhausted smile, she sighed. She wanted more than anything to see the lines of tension disappear from his face. As they walked back to the Luke's ship she said, "Ok. I confess. I was just thinking that I ought to change the security code on my door so that you can't vanish in the middle of the night."  
  
Luke stopped and turned to face her. His voice was contrite, "I'm sorry Mara. What if I promise to never leave again without waking you first?"  
  
"That's a start." She smiled teasingly at him.  
  
"A start, huh?" Luke said knowingly. "Boy, you are hard to please."  
  
"Actually, you manage to do a pretty fair job of pleasing me."  
  
Luke blushed and Mara laughed. "Fair job," he sputtered, "I'll have you know that I left a string of broken hearts in my youth."  
  
"Oh really," Mara's voice was cool as she raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
He smiled and continued, "Well, they weren't exactly broken hearts, but there were a lot of disappointed pilots that never managed to outrace me through Beggar's Canyon."  
  
"No stolen kisses?"  
  
He shot her a wry look, "I guess I was saving myself for a beautiful red head."  
  
"Good answer." Mara said, not really believing him, but not really caring anymore. He was hers and she wouldn't let him go without a fight.  
  
"I am you know." Luke whispered, grabbing her hand and holding her tightly.  
  
"What?" Mara asked.  
  
"Yours."  
  
Any animosity she had begun to feel about his past relationships melted away with those words. She loved his open sincerity, and the way that he wore his heart for everyone to see. "I know." She replied smugly.  
  
"Mara," Luke pleaded with her.  
  
"What is it now? Isn't that the response you wanted?"  
  
He kissed her hard and when he pulled away she said, "I'm not going to say it now. Wait till we get back to my place and I'll show you."  
  
A huge grin spread across his face and he dragged her to the ship. "I can't argue with that."  
  
They made their way back in record time.  
  
*****  
  
They entered Mara's apartment in silence and Mara secured the door behind them. Luke dropped heavily into the couch, threading his fingers through his hair. Mara watched him and he glanced up at her and quirked a small half smile. She walked over to him and stopped in front of him.  
  
"You look terrible." She said.  
  
"I feel terrible, but you look wonderful as always."  
  
"Are you sure the Vault is safe?" Mara asked.  
  
"I don't think anyone can get in there without the key. Besides, it's been untouched for all these years, I think it will be safe for another day." Luke put the key back on the couch side table.  
  
"Come on, Let's get you cleaned up."  
  
She took his hand and pulled him to his feet. They walked into her 'fresher and Mara grabbed a damp cloth. She started to clean the small cuts on his face and then threw the cloth down in disgust swearing.  
  
"Alright, Skywalker, out of those clothes."  
  
She turned on the shower and Luke cocked his head to the side, "You know."  
  
"Yes." Mara prompted him.  
  
"I was a moisture farmer on Tatooine."  
  
"What's your point, farm boy?"  
  
He pulled the tunic from his body and continued, "Water is a valuable commodity, not to be squandered lightly."  
  
"What? You want someone to scrub your back?" Mara said raising an eyebrow.  
  
Luke nodded solemnly.  
  
"Well, in the interest of preserving our natural resources, I guess I could oblige."  
  
She stripped out of her clothes and stepped into the shower. She tossed him He smiled and slid off his shoes and pants to step into the spray. The water was a perfect temperature, warm enough to relieve the aches and tension of the day, but not hot enough to become uncomfortable. Mara watched as Luke lathered soap on his chest and then his face. He stepped into the spray to rinse himself and Mara took the opportunity to admire his physique. The water trailed down his body to disappear into the small drain at their feet.  
  
He took a bottle of her shampoo and said, "Let me."  
  
She turned around and he began to lather her hair. His fingers gently kneaded her scalp and moved down the length of her hair. Mara closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation. Luke rinsed her hair with care, watching the way her wet darkened locks reflected the light. "So beautiful." He murmured. He bent his head to kiss the back of her neck. She arched back, relaxing into him. She felt his chest against her back, growing increasingly conscious of his masculinity. She rubbed coyly against him and he groaned, pressing hard against her backside. Her eyelids were heavy and her whole body was attuned to Luke. She felt every nerve ending, so that each point of contact between them seemed to vibrate with awareness.  
  
A warmth cascaded to her very core and her heart increased its cadence. His arms wrapped around her body, cupping her breasts and rubbing his fingers over the sensitive peaks. Streaks of lightening hot desire shot from his hands down her body. She wanted to turn around and face him, take control of the situation.  
  
Mara pushed Luke against the far wall of the shower, threw her leg around his hip and pulled him deep inside of her. Luke threw his head against the wall, banging it lightly and smiled ferally at Mara. She began to move against him. He held her tightly with both hands, thrusting even deeper, causing her to gasp at the intensely pleasurable stretching sensation. She threw her head back, closing her eyes, reveling in the way he filled her. Taking advantage of the exposed expanse of neck, Luke bent his head forward, and latched his mouth to her pulse point.  
  
Mara moaned his name repeatedly. Each time she spoke, it was a plea, a benediction, and a demand. He was relentless, caressing her with his lips and tongue. Mara reached for him, blindly both with her hands and through the force. Luke caught her hand and merged with her in their bond.  
  
They grasped wildly for each other in the force feeling the power swell and join them to one another on a level beyond anything they had ever imagined. They were oblivious to the warm water pounding against them, the soft slapping sounds of flesh against flesh, and the warmth generated by the raw friction of their bodies. They were no longer completely conscious of the physical as their senses were consumed by a euphoric oneness with all living things. They remained in this dance of ecstasy, filled with the essence of each other, drinking in each other's very soul, for a long while.  
  
Finally, the pleasure was too much and they exploded with the sensations, leaning heavily into each other for support. The rasped desperately for breath, their hearts thundering out the sound of the rapidly cooling shower. They were both reluctant to move, both overwhelmed by the enormity of what had happened.  
  
Mara slowly disentangled her limbs and wobbly slightly on unsteady legs. Luke withdrew slightly, still unable to open his eyes. Mara blindly shut off the shower and they embraced for many moments longer. Luke was the first to stir, he pulled her closer and kissed her deeply. The bond was still there, more poignant than it had been, and Mara felt her heart melt.  
  
Pulling away slightly Mara said, "I love you, Luke."  
  
Luke's hands convulsed as he held her tightly, "My love for you continues to grow, Mara. I don't think I could live without you. Please don't make me live without you. Marry me."  
  
Mara gazed up at him, his hair dripping in his face, off the end of his nose, his eyelashes beaded with moisture. His eyes were bright and intense. His strong arms surrounded her, making her feel protected but not smothered. "Does this mean that I'll have to tell the kids the story of how you  
  
proposed to me in the 'fresher?"  
  
Luke laughed, "All seven of them."  
  
"Seven! We're going to have to do some serious negotiating." Mara teased.  
  
"We don't have to have any children, if you don't want to. I would be the happiest man alive if I had you as my wife."  
  
"And I would be the happiest woman alive to marry you. I've always wanted a family." She added as an afterthought.  
  
Luke kissed her again, and swept her up into his arms. He carried her back to the bed where they lay entwined for the remainder of the night.  
  
*****  
  
Epilogue  
  
After investigating the find at the Jedi Trust, numerous Jedi were assigned t follow up on the most promising leads. There were some areas of the archives that appeared to have been wiped clean. Whole families were missing and there was no mention of Mara Jade among the records. She suspected that either the Emperor had purged her existence from the archives or that she was there under some unknown name. She had always wondered if Mara Jade was not her real birth name. Luke was thrilled to find the name of his mother and her heritage, but found it odd that only his father's mother was listed. The entry for his grandfather was blank. It was just another whole in the overall history of his heritage. Who they found and what happened later is a story for another day.  
Thanks again to Jayde Star.  
  
Thanks for sticking with this story to the end!  
  
Rhea 


End file.
